Criminal Justice, Criminology and Forensics

Matthew J. Hickman, PhD, Chair
Elaine Gunnison, PhD, Graduate Director

Web: https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/departments/criminal/

Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary social science involving the study of crime and societal responses to it. The MACJ program emphasizes the application of theory and research to criminal justice policy and practice. We hope to instill in students a responsibility to integrate and evaluate conceptual and empirical contributions to the field of criminal justice. The mission of the Criminal Justice, Criminology and Forensics Department is to produce graduates who approach their roles in the criminal justice field with knowledge, empiricism, innovation, humanism, and with a deep concern for justice issues faced by offenders, victims, citizens, and governmental and private agents affected by and charged with responding to crime. Graduates are prepared for positions and advancement as practitioners, administrators, victim advocates, and/or research analysts in law enforcement, courts, corrections, social service, and research agencies at the private, county, state, and federal levels. The MACJ program provides foundation for understanding organizational relations in criminal justice, the ability to critically analyze and evaluate criminal justice policy and practice, and the necessary skills to conduct methodologically sound research in specialized areas in criminology and criminal justice. The program is designed to accommodate professionals in the criminal justice field who desire graduate education for advancement purposes as well as students entering upon completion of their bachelor’s degree. The specific objectives of the criminal justice master’s program are to:

Develop in students the knowledge, insight, critical thinking skills, values and ethical consciousness essential to becoming responsible practitioners, researchers, and leaders in criminal justice.
Provide comprehensive, rigorous, analytic, focused study of crime and justice issues with emphasis on the application of theory and research in criminal justice to criminal justice initiatives, policies, and practices.
Provide a strong foundation in criminology, research methods, statistics, organizational theory, criminal justice ethics, issues of diversity in criminal justice, and broad-based analysis of the criminal justice system with focus on law enforcement, the adjudication process, and corrections.
Prepare students for positions and advancement in law enforcement, courts, corrections, social service, and research agencies in private, county, state, and federal agencies.

Admission Requirements

Degree-seeking applicants will be accepted into the program fall quarter only. Applicants for other quarters will be considered on a case by case basis or as non-matriculating students. Admission to the MACJ program is competitive and the file review is holistic. Applicants’ academic history, graduate exam performance, motivation, aptitude for graduate education, personal goals, and professional experiences will be considered.

See Graduate Admissions Programs for admission materials.

Programs

Graduate Certificate

Certificate in Crime Analysis

Graduate Major