Suffolk University

What you'll study

The degree requires 30 credits composed of 12 credits of core courses (four courses) and 18 credits of electives (six courses). Course work covers:

• Alternative, community-based responses and interventions to crime and disorder
• How other social institutions (education, mental health care, corrections, etc.) interact with crime and crime control
• Application of criminological theory to real-world problems and intervention models
• Development of varied communication products: scholarly papers, policy briefs, grants, reports and presentations
• Critical consumption of media and research, including interrogation of data presentation and source bias
• Topics such as restorative justice, systemic racism and inequality, public safety and policing, incarceration and decarceration, violence (including intimate partner and gang violence), substance use, housing insecurity, and the health needs of women, girls and gender-expansive people

Entry requirements

The programme page specifies a 30-credit structure and notes optional internship eligibility requirements: students must hold a minimum GPA of 3.0 to undertake the optional graduate internship and must meet with the programme director the semester prior to placement. For fellowship consideration, enrolled MSCJ students may apply by emailing a resume to Professor Rebecca Stone by August 1; the MSCJ Fellowship involves eight hours of work per week and covers both fall and spring semesters. Alpha Phi Sigma membership requires completion of four criminal justice courses, a minimum GPA of 3.4 and ranking in the top 25% of the class.

Career prospects

Recent graduates hold roles across government, courts, nonprofits and community organisations. Sample job titles and employers listed by the programme include Assistant Deputy Director (City youth program), Program Coordinator (Commonwealth of Massachusetts), Policy Analyst (Crime and Justice Institute), Court Assistant (New Hampshire Judicial Branch), Probation Support Technician (United States Courts), Family Services Case Manager, Clinical Supervisor, Executive Director of a housing authority, CREW Instructor & Case Manager (Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance), Director of Public Affairs (Massachusetts Senior Care Association), and Commissioner to Qualify Public Officers (Commonwealth of Massachusetts). The programme also highlights career services through Suffolk’s Center for Career Equity, Development & Success.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

Financial support options referenced on the programme page include an annually awarded MSCJ Fellowship (application by August 1) and access to graduate student services for financial aid counselling. Students can pursue paid or credit-bearing internships with partner agencies and benefit from professional-development workshops and lifelong career services through the university’s career centre.