Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice (M.A.)

Criminology and Criminal Justice (M.A.)
Offered as an online M.A.

The Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice is designed to help you advance your career in criminal justice. With flexible paths and evening/online classes, our program is ideal for the working professional. Current Saint Anselm students may also consider the accelerated 4+1 option.

Our MA in criminology and criminal justice will give you a deep understanding of crime, its causes, and its impact on society. You will also develop a strong comprehension of the legal system's intent and its application in various criminal justice contexts, empowering you to address challenges in the field effectively.

In every course, you will learn from dedicated faculty who bring real-world experience and insight. Through an internship, you will gain valuable hands-on experience. Additionally, you can build a professional network with professors and classmates, benefiting from their diverse perspectives.

Criminal Justice Department

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Apply to Saint Anselm

These individuals [Criminal Justice Professors] are incredibly dedicated not only to the field of criminal justice, but also to the success of their students. Saint A’s is such a unique environment where each student has the opportunity to really get to know their professor and learn from their expertise.

— Jackie Gaumer ’22, MA ’23, Manchester Police Department

Program Information

The program offers flexible options to take courses on-campus, online, hybrid, or move between modalities. Students may attend:

1. Part-time
2. Accelerated 4+1 for Saint Anselm College students

Full-time 4+1 (current students only)
• Application Deadline: August 1
• Enrollment Deadline: October 1

Part-time
Summer:
• Application Deadline: May 1
• Enrollment Deadline: May 8
Spring:
• Application Deadline: January 9
• Enrollment Deadline: January 16
Fall:
• Application Deadline: August 8
• Enrollment Deadline: August 15

Curriculum

Through this 40-credit hour program, you'll embark on a transformative journey, gaining interdisciplinary knowledge of law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and victimization, while equipping yourself to apply criminal justice best practices in diverse contexts.

Take courses in either accelerated terms or 15-week terms and graduate in as little as three semesters.

CJ 465/600- Advanced Crim. Theory (4 credits)

This course provides a detailed examination of the most influential and empirically supported theories of crime causation and the correlates of crime. Topics include: theory construction, theory integration, research, and policy.
Full-term; fall and spring

CJ 500- Advanced Research Design (4 credits)

This course is designed to explore various data-driven options for conducting original research. Students will build quantitative literacy while exploring simple analytical tools afforded by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

Accelerated; summer and fall

CJ 490/620- Descriptive & Inferential Stats (4 credits)

This course is designed to explore various data driven options for conducting original research. The objective for this course is to provide the student with the opportunity to address fundamental questions concerning crime causation and/or society's response to crime based on governmental reports, academic journals, books and databases. Students will develop their research question and provide a proposal for their thesis. This will include training for protecting human research.

Accelerated; spring and summer

CJ 630- Law & Justice Seminar (4 credits)

This course will examine the relationship between the law, behavior, and social order. Emphasis is placed on how individuals operate within and against the American system of law.

Full-term; fall and spring

CJ 650- Victimization Seminar (4 credits)

The course will provide an overview of victimization based on age, race, gender, and location. Emphasis will be centered on examining patterns of victimization, typologies concerning victimization and the rights of victims, including the criminal justice system's responses to victimization and victim needs.

Accelerated; summer and fall

CJ 510- Administration of Justice (4 credits)

The course provides students with a critical examination of the key components of the criminal justice system and reviews the administrations of federal, state, and local agencies, including a focus on managing the justice organization.

Accelerated; fall and spring

CJ 700- Master’s Thesis I (4 credits)

This course represents a student's initial thesis enrollment. Students will work on their independent research and will receive approval by a faculty committee under the supervision of one faculty member. The thesis requires students to develop, design, and complete an original research project.

Full-term; fall or when needed

CJ 710- Master’s Thesis II (4 credits)

This course represents the student's last thesis enrollment. Students will continue to work on their original research project, culminating in an oral defense of their thesis before the thesis committee and the public.

Full-term; spring or when needed

CJ 610- Understanding Crime Data (4 credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of crime and related criminal justice processes. The course will cover topics such as the collection and use of data related to corrections, victims, law enforcement, crime type, international crimes, and then independent organizations – to name a few. Students will gain knowledge on frequently used data sources and collection methods found in published scholarly work, and those which inform practice in the field of criminal justice. Students will examine various data sources and apply the gathered data to real-world applications.

Accelerated; summer

CJ 655- Crime Mapping (4 credits)

This course provides students with a historical view of the spatial distribution of crime and how it has been examined practically and explained theoretically over time. Research regarding concepts such as crime concentration, targeted responses, diffusion, and displacement will be examined. Students will be provided the opportunity to master skills in crime mapping techniques to create and display the phenomena of crime using software such as QGIS.

Accelerated; fall and spring

CJ 685- Internship (4 credits)

Criminal Justice students may be selected to spend one semester interning with a Criminal Justice agency. The student must spend an average of 10 hours per week with the agency.

Full-term; fall, summer, and spring

CJ 640 Drug Law Enforcement & Mass Incarceration (4 credits)

This seminar examines the impact of America’s War on Drugs, from its inception in 1972 through the present day. We begin by examining how riots in the 1960s led to a more militarized approach to urban law enforcement, particularly Special Weapons and Tactics units (SWAT). Students will learn how police procedures initially designed for extraordinary circumstances—such as the Watts Rebellion, which erupted in Los Angeles in 1965—came to be used during drug raids, beginning in the late 1980s. We explore how drug arrests and convictions have disproportionately impacted Black and brown communities, despite evidence indicating similarities in drug usage across racial lines, during the first half of the course. We then examine how marijuana policy is evolving in states across the country—particularly since 1996, when California first legalized medical marijuana—with several states implementing restorative justice-based reforms designed to address the racially disparate impact of marijuana enforcement. The course concludes by exploring how Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin and black tar heroin produced in Mexico converged to create a national overdose crisis. Despite state interdiction efforts, the prevalence of fentanyl in street opioids has increased, with drug-induced fatalities exceeding record highs during each of the past two years through April 2021 (the most recent years for which Centers for Disease Control Data are available).

Accelerated; fall and spring

CJ 660- Issues & Trends (4 credits)

This course provides a comprehensive review of extant issues and recent trends observed and encountered by the criminal justice system by focusing on how law enforcement, courts, and corrections have handled these various issues and how legislators have changed corresponding laws.

Accelerated; spring

CJ 515- Advanced Fourth Amendment Seminar (2 credits)

This graduate course examines police use of technology and the legal constructs applicable to police surveillance and data collection. Law enforcement agencies increasingly use sophisticated techniques to combat crime, apprehend criminals, and surveil community members. This course will examine the legal issues relating to wide range of police technologies, such as license plate readers, drones, facial recognition, home security cameras, cell site simulators, and gunshot detection sensors. Students will think critically about how police use of technology potentially affects individual privacy, liberty, and dignity. Particular attention will be given to issues of police surveillance relating to the Fourth Amendment.

Accelerated; summer and spring

CJ 665- Criminal Mind (2 credits)

In this course, we will delve into the psyche of criminals relevant to criminal behavior. We will explore the emotions, behaviors, and factors that contribute to various criminal acts, including both violent and nonviolent ones. By examining scientific evidence and current criminological theories, students will gain a deeper understanding of the origins and evidence of violence. Laws, past and current response of the criminal justice system to repeat offenders are explored with emphasis placed those who suffer from mental illness and the response from the justice system. Ultimately, we will learn who criminals are and how to effectively reduce or respond to their behavior.

Accelerated; fall and spring

CJ 675 Forensic (2 credits)

This is a two-credit chemistry course designed for Criminal Justice graduate students interested in forensics. Students will explore the theory and practice of forensics toxicology through chemical and scientific principles. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to act as informed citizens and apply scientific concepts within the criminal justice system.

Accelerated; spring

Featured Course

Victimization Seminar

In this course, you’ll develop a deep understanding of victimization based on age, race, gender, and location. There will be a focus on victims’ rights and the patterns and typologies of victimization, as well as the criminal justice system’s responses to victimization and victim needs.

Featured Faculty Member

Professor Kaitlyn Clarke ’09

Professor Clarke’s passion for criminal justice research first sparked during her CJ100 class as a Saint Anselm student. She later received her Ph.D. and returned to the college as a faculty member, and now is the director of the College’s first graduate program.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Saint Anselm College Criminology and Criminal Justice Master’s Program is financially competitive with other regional programs.

Tuition is $575 per credit, with the cost for the required 40 credits being $23,000. There is an additional fee of $18.00 per credit, totaling $720.00. Making the entire degree cost $23,720.

Students completing the 4 + 1 will complete eight credits during their undergraduate experience, which will be counted towards their graduate degree, resulting in the total cost of the program being $18,400 + $576 in fees. This results in a total tuition cost of $18,976 for the graduate portion of the accelerated master’s degree.

	Per Credit	4+1 Total (32 credits)	Full Program Total (40 cedits)
Tuition	$575	$18,400	$23,00
Fee	$18	$576	$720
Total	$593	$18,976	$23,720

*The cost of the graduate program is subject to change

There is a 20% tuition discount for alumni, all eligible Saint Anselm staff and faculty and for those working in law enforcement. Discounts cannot be combined.