Master of Science in Crime Science

4 + 1 Degree Program

Cedar Crest College offers students studying criminal justice, psychology, or forensic science the opportunity to earn a Master of Science in Crime Science degree in five years.  The Crime Science degree is the first of its kind in the country and is designed to teach a progressive curriculum enhancing the student’s understanding of human behavior.

At its core, crime science is an outcome-centered approach that is grounded in two elements: 1) effective prevention and 2) detection of crime.  Crime control can be more effectively achieved if, as a profession, criminal justice organizations move to embrace scientifically supported methods that prevent crime from occurring or, alternatively, more quickly solve the crime that does occur.

Crime science is more interdisciplinary than other criminal justice programs and relies more heavily on understanding the value gained from merging different disciplines into a more comprehensive platform.  In the end, the goal of a crime science program is to teach practitioners, policymakers, and community activists how to collectively and collaboratively manage resources in a way that effectively prevents criminal behavior.

The Crime Science program is a skill-based curriculum that is made up of mostly 1- and 2-credit learning modules.  Each of the modules is designed to teach the student a skill that can be directly applied to a professional setting.  It bridges the gap between practitioner and researcher by teaching academic content that is research-based and can be easily applied by the student.

Our desire to teach skills that are academic in nature, yet transferable to any professional pursuit, recognizes the need to have education serve as a mechanism to improve communities.  Preventing unwanted and potentially harmful behavior from occurring serves as a better mechanism to building strong, vibrant communities than does punishing it.

The benefit to the 4 + 1 student is that 10-12 of the 36 credits required for the Master of Science in Crime Science are included in the price of the undergraduate experience.  That means that 1/3 of the degree comes at no additional cost to the student.  Direct admission to the program from high school is permitted and encouraged since space is limited.

The courses include:

SCI 501 Leadership 3 credits
CSI 502 Event-based Crime Prevention 1.5 credits
CSI 503 Restorative Practices 1.5 credits
CSI 504 Cross-sector Collaboration 2 credits
CSI 505 Ethics in Decision-making 1-3 credits
CSI 506 Concepts in Environmental Criminology
CSI 510 Mapping Technologies for CRJ Professionals 1.5 credits
CSI 511 Advanced Mapping Techniques 1.5 credits
CSI 512 Data Management 1 credit
CSI 513 Program Evaluation 2 credits
CSI 531 Trauma and Crime 1 credit
CSI 532 Crisis Intervention Design and Implementation 1 credit
CSI 533 Personality Theory and Personality Disorders 2 credits
CSI 534 Guilt, Anxiety, Paranoia, and the Psychology of the Criminal Mind 2 credits
CSI 541 Forensic Evidence Recognition and Analysis 2 credits
CSI 542 Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction 3 credits
CSI 543 Crime Scene Management 3 credits
CSI 580 Capstone 6 credits

Admission Requirements

In order to be admitted into the Crime Science Program, each student must meet the following requirements:

• A minimum of 1-year, full-time work experience (reflected in a resume) or if the student does not have one year of experience, a 1-page statement explaining how the student’s carrer goals allign with the curriculum.   
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 in the student’s undergraduate field of study – If the student does not have a 3.0 in his or her undergraduate program, the student must complete an interview with the Program Direction. The purpose of the interview is to assess academic preparedness
• Background check – the background check will be waived for any applicant already employed in the criminal justice, forensic, or social work systems. Any applicant not employed in one of those fields must submit a criminal background check and child abuse clearance form. A criminal history would not exclude a candidate unless the conviction was for a sex offense or weapons offense. This is necessary because those convictions would seriously inhibit the applicant’s ability to find work in the criminal justice, forensic, or social work fields.
• Letters of recommendation – All students must submit two letters of recommendation. Letters must either be from criminal justice practitioners or an academic representative.