Welcome to the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJS). Our department is a national and international leader in research and criminal justice education. The department has a long tradition of excellence in research. Faculty are highly regarded for research contributions in many different areas including life course criminology, crime and justice decision-making, quantitative methods, juvenile delinquency, and terrorism. CCJS ranks 4th in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences for FY11 research expenditures per faculty member. In addition, key faculty from CCJS direct important research centers on campus, including START (terrorism), CESAR (drug abuse and treatment), and C-BERC (business ethics, regulation, and crime).
CCJS currently offers 3 graduate degrees: Master of Arts degree; a joint MA/JD with the University of Maryland Law School, and a Ph.D. As part of our efforts to build strong academic and research relationships internationally, the Department has partnered with the People’s Police Academy in Vietnam and Nanjing Normal University in China to offer a Master’s degree in Justice Leadership (MPS) and Criminology and Criminal Justice respectively. In addition, CCJS faculty and graduate students conduct research projects, training, and collaborations all over the world.
The Department’s Ph.D. program is highly regarded. The 2005 and 2009 U.S. News and World Reports rankings of the quality of doctoral programs reported the department is number one out of all programs ranked. Its graduates are also considered to be academic “stars.” A recent article assessing doctoral program quality in criminology and criminal justice concluded that the University of Maryland “is training those scholars who have the ability to publish in the more influential criminology journals” (Journal of Criminal Justice Education, March, 2007:80).
In 2010, the Department initiated a Limited Enrollment Policy aimed to shrink our average course size and improve the overall educational experience of our undergraduate majors. Even with the LEP, however, CCJS has 1100 majors and ranks among the most popular majors on campus. The department awards more than 450 baccalaureate degrees and CCJS generates 27,013 undergraduate credits hours of which 44.8% were taught to non-majors. CCJS also has a satellite program at the Shady Grove campus. For more information about the Shady Grove program, go to: http://www.shadygrove.umd.edu/academics/undergraduate/criminology
Stop by our department to meet us and learn more about our programs. We have wonderful support staff to answer your questions and introduce you to the department. The study of criminology and criminal justice is interesting, exciting, rewarding, and challenging. We are here to support and guide you along the way.
