UMassOnline introducing Criminal Justice studies

by Leslie Granese, special to the Chronicle

wo new online criminal justice programs designed to meet the increasing educational needs of law enforcement, public safety and homeland security professionals will begin operation in January under the auspices of UMassOnline, the University system's Web-based learning division.

     UMass Lowell's master of arts in Criminal Justice and the UMass Amherst undergraduate Criminal Justice Studies certificate will be offered online starting next month.

     The programs were detailed Nov. 13 in President William M. Bulger's keynote speech at the Metro South Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting in Whitman, and in remarks at the grand opening of the UMass Center for Professional Education in Brockton, which houses the New England Institute of Law Enforcement Management.

     "The University prides itself in breaking down barriers to the excellent learning opportunities available on its campuses," Bulger said. "These new programs deliver our noted criminal justice programs to the homes and workplaces of professionals engaged in the important task of protecting the safety of our citizens across this state and around the world."

     According to UMassOnline officials, the two programs will provide academically rigorous, empirically oriented curricula that are relevant for potential or current professionals in the judiciary, corrections, policing, homeland security, victim services and related social service settings. Both programs offer a choice of cutting-edge electives, enabling students to tailor their knowledge and expertise for their individual career objectives.

     "These online programs offer a tremendous opportunity for law enforcement professionals to prepare for leadership positions and work at the same time," says Gerald F. Burke, director of the New England Institute of Law Enforcement Management. "The demands on law enforcement officials, and the public's expectations of them, have never been higher. If we've learned anything since September 11th, it's that our law enforcement and public safety professionals need continued access to the most sophisticated, up-to-date training possible."

     "We deliver the master of arts in Criminal Justice online because few working professionals have the luxury of suspending their careers in order to pursue advanced professional education," says Eve Buzawa, professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at UMass Lowell. "From a regional perspective, this flexibility is essential for criminal justice agencies because they cannot afford to absorb the loss of experienced personnel to full-time graduate or professional study."

     Funded by a three-year, $450,000 UMassOnline grant for new online programs, the UMass Lowell master's program provides state-of-the-art criminal justice knowledge and addresses a broad range of topics that appeal to a multi-disciplinary audience. The program offers electives in domestic violence and child maltreatment, leadership, policy development and evaluation, information technology and crime, forensic criminology and counter-terrorism.

     "The UMass Amherst Criminal Justice Studies Certificate gives working adults a high degree of fluidity and flexibility," says Anthony Harris, professor of Sociology and certificate coordinator. For 35 years, the Amherst campus has offered a classroom-based version of the certificate, he noted. "Now, working criminal justice professionals and other adults have a flexible new option for educational development, enhancing job credentials, and working towards completing a college degree."

     The Criminal Justice Studies Certificate was developed collaboratively by the Sociology Department and the Division of Continuing Education. Electives are available in domestic violence, cyber crime, criminal forensics, alternative sanctions and international organized crime.