Feb. 9, 2006 -- Does punishment or rehabilitation fit the crime?

How will terrorism affect our city, community or state?

These questions and many more will be hashed out in classroom discussions next fall when the new Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program begins at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

Last Friday the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the master’s level program for ASU during the board’s quarterly meeting, which was held in Monticello.

Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary major combining criminology, public administration, law, sociology, psychology and political science. ASU will be the second institution in Arkansas to provide a master’s in criminal justice.

Since 1985, ASU has offered a bachelor’s in criminology and criminal justice.
The 33-credit hour master’s program has been developed to provide additional analytical skills for practitioners who hold a bachelor’s degree in the fields of criminology, political science, psychology or sociology. It is also intended to provide traditional graduate students (those who go immediately to graduate school from undergraduate work) with additional skills before they seek employment in the field or to start their journey to obtain a Ph.D.

The program includes 12-credit hours in core criminal justice courses, 18-credit hours in directed electives and 3-credit hours in research methods. A paper is also required, which must be defended before graduate faculty and presented at a professional conference. An elective internship will require a minimum of 120 contact hours in law enforcement, correctional or judicial agency.

All of the courses required for the master’s degree are currently offered through the criminology, sociology and political science departments. Existing courses will include more criminal justice content in crime analysis, community policing, judicial behavior and sentencing and geriatric prisoner treatment.

Most of the courses will be offered in the evening. And, as the program grows, more and more courses will be offered depending upon the needs of the needs and interests of the students.

“Employees in corrections and law enforcement have expressed an interest in the program, because the master’s degree is required for senior administrative positions at state agencies. In addition, we have received letters of support for the program from local and regional law enforcement, corrections and parole agencies,” said Dr. Gregory Russell, associate professor and director of the criminology program.

Last year ASU implemented the graduate certificate in criminal justice administration, which is a cooperative program between criminology and political science. Students may obtain the graduate certificate with the courses counting toward the master’s degree in criminal justice.

In addition, last year ASU implemented the bachelor’s degree forensic science for those who want to work in a crime laboratory or a federal agency. This degree is a collaborative effort of chemistry, biology, and the criminology departments at ASU.
For more details, contact Dr. Russell at 870-972-3705 or via email at grussell@astate.edu.