Criminal Justice (MA)
The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice aims to provide an education of excellence to students interested in the field of Criminal Justice, so that they can perform effectively in public, private, state and federal agencies.
The Program aims to prepare the student to do research in the field of criminal justice; respond to the need for maintaining highly qualified professionals that master the competencies required in this discipline; and to train professionals to get involved with the different populations and problems that society faces.
The Metropolitan Campus has a consortium with our School of Law that will allow qualified students to earn an MA in Criminal Justice and a Juris Doctor (JD). Interested students must contact the academic department at the Metropolitan Campus for information and requirements.
The Aguadilla, Barranquitas, Fajardo, Metropolitan and Ponce campuses and the University Center of Caguas of the Metropolitan Campus are authorized to offer this Program. The Barranquitas Campus is authorized to offer this Program through online education.
Competencies Profile of Graduates
The Program is designed to develop the competencies that will enable students to:
Knowledge
- Know the existing interaction between the state and federal legal systems, and between individuals and society.
- Know the stages of the penal procedural right and the right of proof related to the Puerto Rico Justice System.
- Know the social and legal aspects of juvenile delinquency.
- Know the social-scientific research method.
Skills
- Apply the criminological theories to the comprehensive study of the relation between laws, individuals and society.
- Analyze the social and legal aspects of juvenile delinquency, as well as the theories, factors and conditions associated with this social problem.
- Analyze the factors and conditions that lead people to create dependency on psycho addictive or illegal substances and to criminal conduct.
- Apply the social-scientific research method to the development of research in the area of criminal justice.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation strategies used with people with deviant behavior.
Attitudes
- Demonstrate a critical attitude towards the study of the interaction of the Puerto Rico legal system, individuals and society.
- Demonstrate a positive attitude towards the people with deviant behavior who are in the rehabilitation process.
- Recognize the importance of research as an effective means for the production and construction of knowledge in the area of criminal justice.
- Recognize the importance of a ethical-legal conduct in the field of criminal justice.
Graduation Requirements
- Have a minimum general average of 3.00.
- Approve one of the following options, as determined by the campus:
- A comprehensive examination, which those students who have approved 30 credits including the Specialization Requirements, may request. Students will graduate with a total of 33 credits.
- The course CJUS 6970 Integration Seminar results in 3 additional credits, therefore the student will graduate with a total of 36 credits.*
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice
| Specialization Requirements |
21 credits |
| Prescribed Distributive Requirements |
9 credits |
| Elective Courses |
3 credits |
| Total |
*33-36 credits |
Specialization Requirements - 21 credits
| CJUS 5010 | Law and Society | 3 |
| CJUS 5055 | Criminology | 3 |
| CJUS 5060 | Methodology of Social Scientific Research | 3 |
| CJUS 5070 | Social Scientific Research Applied to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJUS 5080 | Public Policy, the State and Federal Justice Systems | 3 |
| CJUS 5310 | Criminal Justice Procedure and Evidence Law | 3 |
Select one course from the following:
Prescribed Distributive Requirements - 9 credits
Select nine (9) credits from the following courses: