Administration of Justice
Institutions of social control are in constant change due in part to the public's demand for a quality system of justice. In this climate, government at all levels is insisting on a higher level of intellectual and educational preparation for those who desire to significantly participate in the operation and administration of its criminal justice systems.
The Program
The Department of Criminal Justice developed the master of science degree program in administration of justice in 1983. The program is designed for in-service and pre-service students. Practitioners raise their level of education while adding research and theory to the in-field experiences. Pre-service students gain direct and indirect benefits from the program as they study and interact with experienced professionals. The program enhances career potentials for both groups of graduate students.
The program's major strengths are its applied perspective and strong emphasis on theory, policy, research, and analysis. Philosophy, format, and implementation stress the practical application of a higher level of knowledge, skills, and strategies. The methodological and theory components are highly suitable as a preparation for entering advanced graduate studies and other professional programs.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet all requirements of the School of Graduate Studies as defined in the current Graduate Catalog. Applicants should have a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice, administration of justice, or a related social science field from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 2.75 as a minimum.
Degree Requirements
To qualify for the degree of master of science in administration of justice, you must complete as a minimum 36 hours of graduate work distributed as follows:
- REQUIRED (24 s.h.)
- CRJ 501 Foundations of Justice
- CRJ 520 Justice Administration and Management
- CRJ 550 Graduate Seminar
- CRJ 560 Theories of Crime and Delinquency
- CRJ 590 Justice Policy Analysis
- CRJ 600 Research Methods
- CRJ 610 Quantitative Analysis
- CRJ 635 Restorative Justice
- Electives (12 s.h.)
- CRJ 570 Legal Trends and Issues
- CRJ 580 Juvenile Justice System
- CRJ 585 Treatment and Rehabilitation
- CRJ 591 Selected Topics
- CRJ 592 Selected Topics
- CRJ 593 Independent Study
- CRJ 594 Selected Topics
- CRJ 595 Practicum I (JCJC students only)
- CRJ 596 Selected Topics
- CRJ 597 Practicum II (JCJC students only)
- CRJ 599 Independent Study
- CRJ 612 Thesis I
- CRJ 613 Thesis II
- CRJ 617 Internship I
- CRJ 618 Internship II
- Interdisciplinary Course(s) 6-9 credits
With Department of Criminal Justice approval and providing the student meets the requirements of the department offering the course, courses numbered 500 and above can be taken from one or more of the following: Counseling, Educational Leadership, Political Science, Psychology and Special Education. Interdisciplinary courses may be substituted for a maximum of six to nine credits of criminal justice electives.
Special Resources
Shippensburg University is located near major cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. State government in the capital city, Harrisburg, provides numerous opportunities to study and do research with state and federal agencies.
Students have opportunities to work on research projects with departmental faculty. Computer resources and excellent library facilities are available.
Graduate assistantships are available to four students who want to enhance their learning experience by assisting the faculty with research, teaching and other tasks during the academic year. One graduate assistantship is available during the summer.
Career Opportunities
Our graduates are highly successful competitors in the job market and are employed in many different states by private companies, city and county governments, state and federal departments. Graduates who are currently employed are often more marketable and upwardly mobile in their agency's career development programs. They are also qualified to move to other agencies in a new and higher level of participation, responsibility, and compensation. They can expect new management, policy making, and expanded leadership and supervision opportunities as a result of their experiences and graduate degree.
Career choices include but are not limited to:
- Federal Law Enforcement
- Federal Corrections
- Federal Probation
- State Law Enforcement/State Corrections (Adult and Juvenile)
- State Probation and Parole/County Police
- County Probation and Parole (Adult and Juvenile)
- City Police and other local agencies
- City Corrections
- Federal, State, and Local Courts
- Private Corrections Agencies (Adult and Juvenile)
- Special Service & Related Agencies
- Victiomology service providers
- Private security organizations
Faculty
Students will study the criminal justice system with professors who hold the highest scholarly qualifications; have had experience in the field as practitioners; served as expert witnesses and consultants to criminal justice agencies; conducted research; published articles and books; and presented scholarly papers at local, regional, and national conferences.
James R. Johnson, Ed.D., dean, College of Education and Human Services.
Kurt L. Kraus, Ed.D., interim chair, University of Maine.
Thomas L. Austin, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Investigation, security and crime prevention; research evaluation and quantitative methods. Research interests: role of education and training on attitude and performance.
Todd E. Bricker, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Police policy and practice; criminal investigation, field research methods; police management and organizational change issues. Research interests: police behavior, public perceptions of police, police ethics, evaluation research. Former Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officer and Tri-County Narcotics Detective. Eight years of field experience.
Donna C. Hale, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Leadership and supervision, women's studies, and popular culture, crime and justice. Research interests: women in criminal justice issues and training of police. Editor, Women & Criminal Justice. Past President of Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). 1999 recipient of the ACJS Founder's Award. Co-editor of Popular Culture, Crime, and Justice.
Stephanie A. Jirard, J.D., Boston College. A former U.S. Navy JAG Corps Officer, Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Assistant Federal Public Defender, and Missouri State Public Defender. Research interests: The Constitution and capital punishment, mental illness, and the law and criminal evidence.
John H. Lemmon, Ph.D., University of Maryland. Juvenile delinquency, child maltreatment, and family life. Research interests: causes and correlates of deviancy, clinical and casework practice, community organization. Former Consultant: Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges' Commission. Graduate coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice.
E. Britt Patterson, Ph.D., University of Maryland. Juvenile justice; research and quantitative methods; race, gender and crime; and criminology and delinquency theories. Research interests: crime causation, racial impact on crime, criminal justice system's response to crime. Co-editor of Race and Criminal Justice and Justice with Prejudice.
Laura Patterson, Ph.D., University of Maryland-College Park. Juvenile delinquency and justice, victimology, white collar crime, theories of crime and deviance, community and institutional corrections, and quantitative research method.
Melissa L. Ricketts, Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Victimology, criminological theory testing, and advanced quantitative methods. Research Interests: Fear of crime, school violence, cybercrime, and prescription drug abuse.