Credit-bearing Certificate and Judicial Administration Masters Specialization Information and Course Descriptions |
|
CREDIT-BEARING CERTIFICATE
Prerequisites: None
Course Requirements: Students must complete twelve graduate credits within six years of
their first course. They may choose courses from the School of Criminal Justice which are listed below.
The judicial administration sections of the criminal justice courses concentrate on management and leadership.
• CJ 809 Issues in Criminal Justice: Elements of Essential Court Operations
• CJ 829 Trends: National and Global Trends in Court Planning
• CJ 812 Criminal Justice Management Seminar:
Preparing to Lead: Analyzing and Developing Organization and Personal Leadership
• CJ 814 Seminar in Management Topics:
Historical Foundations/Contemporary Frameworks of Judicial Administration
Moving the Credit-bearing Certificate Forward: After completing the credit-bearing
certificate, students may transfer their credits to another university or apply them toward
the Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Judicial Administration Specialization. The
credit-bearing certificate comprises the judicial administration specialization of the Master
of Science in Criminal Justice.
Lifelong Education Status: Lifelong Education Status includes all students attending the University who are not pursuing a University degree. A student pursuing the credit-bearing certificate credentialing option will maintain this status. Detailed Lifelong Education Status information and application can be found at http://www.reg.msu.edu/ROInfo/EnrReg/LifelongEducation.asp. After completing the application, please contact Cathy White @ gamperca@msu.edu for enrollment in courses.
Application and Tuition:*
- $20 nonrefundable application fee
- In-state tuition is $6,828 for twelve graduate credits ($1,707.00 per three credit course for
lifelong education in-state students) - Out-of-state tuition is $8,751 for twelve graduate credits ($2,187.75 per three credit course for
lifelong education out-of-state students)
*Costs are subject to change without notice - Lifelong Education students are not eligible for most sources of financial assistance including federal financial assistance programs, graduate assistantships, and most fellowships.
Credit Bearing Certificate Application:
REVISED CREDIT BEARING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM APPLICATION
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION SPECIALIZATION
Prerequisites: Bachelor’s degree and GRE test scores. The GRE exam is waived for
candidates with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher or for applicants
with a completed graduate degree.
Course Requirements: Students must complete, within six years of their first credit-bearing
course, the courses from the credit-bearing certificate in addition to:
• CJ 801 Crime, Causation, Prevention, and Control
• CJ 811 Design and Analysis in Criminal Justice Research
• CJ 887 Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice Research
• CJ 896 Policy Analysis Under Conditions of Change Focused on Judicial Administration
• Two approved electives
Cost of Application Fees and Tuition:*
• $20 nonrefundable application fee for the Judicial Administration Program
• $50 nonrefundable application fee for the MSU Graduate School
• $18,360 tuition for thirty graduate credits ($1,836 per three-credit course)
*Costs are subject to change without notice
Criminal Justice Masters Program Application Instructions: Applications for the Criminal Justice Masters program are screened for fall and spring semester entry. All application material must be received before February 1 for consideration for the following summer or fall semester, and by September 1 for consideration for the following spring semester. Applicants are typically notified of admission decisions within 4-6 weeks of the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Please send all application material to the following address:
Criminal Justice Masters Program
Michigan State University
560 Baker Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824
Detailed Criminal Justice Masters program information can be found at http://www.criminaljustice.msu.edu/academic/cjinstruction.php
Masters Program Application:
REVISED MASTERS PROGRAM APPLICATION
Receipt of Academic Credit for Federal Court Leadership Program (FCLP)
Academic Credit for Successful Completion of FJC Federal Court Leadership Program (FCLP)
Students who wish to receive academic credit for successful completion of FCLP must lodge a request with the Judicial Administration Program. Once the request is lodged, the Judicial Administration Program contacts FJC to obtain official documentation that the student successfully completed the program along with the dates of attendance from start to completion. This documentation will also include the student’s final paper. Students who have successfully completed FCLP are eligible to receive 3 academic credits at Michigan State University for CJ 809 (special section). Note: FCLP was previously reviewed and accepted for 4 credits through ACE. Students who completed FCLP when it was accredited by the American Council on Education (ACE), may transfer those credits to Michigan State University to be applied toward the Judicial Administration Program course requirements. Those students who completed FCLP after it received the three-credit designation from MSU must seek the credit by fulfilling the steps listed in this description.
Receipt of Academic Credit for CMP and CEDP
a) Academic Credit for Successful Completion of ICM Court Management Program (CMP)
Students who wish to receive academic credit for successful completion of CMP must lodge a request with the Judicial Administration Program. Once the request is lodged, the Judicial Administration Program contacts ICM to get official documentation that the student successfully completed the program along with the dates of attendance from start to completion. The student will then be required to fulfill any gaps related to the Judicial Administration Program core course requirements not offered through CMP. The student will complete a final paper under the supervision of an MSU professor. Successful completion of all requirements will result in the student receiving credit for CJ 814 (special section).
b) Academic Credit for Successful Completion of ICM Court Executive Development Program (CEDP)
Students who wish to receive academic credit for successful completion of CEDP (levels one and two) must lodge a request with the Judicial Administration Program. Once the request is lodged, the Judicial Administration Program contacts ICM to get official documentation that the student successfully completed the program along with the dates of attendance from start to completion. This documentation will also include the student’s final paper. Students who have successfully completed both phases of CEDP are eligible to receive 6 academic credits at Michigan State University. The course requirements that phase 1 and phase 2 of CEDP fulfill are for CJ 809 and 814 (special sections).
Waiver of Master’s Degree of Criminal Justice Course Requirements or Judicial Administration Specialization Course Requirements
Students may not transfer credits from a previously completed degree to meet the requirements for any of the credit-bearing courses for either the specialization or the master’s degree. Students may request a course waiver of non-judicial administration specialization courses in the master’s degree program after they have been accepted into the master’s degree program. A waiver request must be accompanied by a course description, syllabus, and evidence of student work product from the class (if requested). The waiver request will be forwarded to the Director of the School of Criminal Justice for final approval.
Noncredit Conversion Instructions: Conversion_Project_Instructions
JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
CJ 809 Issues in Criminal Justice - Elements of Essential Court Operations (Spring)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to study the essential management infrastructure of court operations; to analyze the intersections of court operations and constitutional mandates related to issues of judicial independence, interdependence, and accountability; and to situate the role of the courts within the communities they serve. Students will be exposed to five distinct course segments, which will be taught by six instructors. This course will begin with court budgeting and its relationship to accountability and organizational planning and performance goal-setting. Human resources management will address the challenges of hiring and retaining talented and dedicated court employees at a time of continual organizational change. The role of information technology management in serving current court operations while simultaneously answering the call for faster innovation, greater accountability, and transparency, will be explored and analyzed. Finally, education of judges, court employees, the public, and members of the other branches of government will be presented and analyzed as the catalyst for developing a culture of learning and engagement that forms the expectations and interactions with the judicial branch. Students will be engaged in the subject matter through readings, group discussions, writing assignments, and analysis.
CJ 829 Issues in Criminal Justice - National and Global Trends in Court Planning (Spring)
This course will focus on the role of emerging trends and the changing expectations of key stakeholders in the strategic planning process. The basic premise in the course is that planning is not a linear process whereby today’s realities can be used as an accurate and dependable marker for making prudent decisions regarding the future. The goal will be to help leaders in the justice system analyze the “discontinuous” world in which they live and must function, so they can identify the strategic issues which will frame a meaningful planning process for their organization. Students will analyze and write out of the context of their respective organizations, but with an understanding of regional, national and global issues that influence their organizations. Each student will interact with the instructor through written assignments and through group discussions with the instructor and with the other members of the class. The literature for the course will consist of readings from one textbook, a course pack, the popular press and web-based materials.
CJ 812 Criminal Justice Management Seminar - Preparing to Lead: Analyzing and Developing Organization and Personal Leadership (Fall)
This course immerses students in leadership development for the purpose of preparing them to lead the courts and other justice system organizations. It identifies the complexities of developing leadership acumen that is personally authentic and prepares them to assume increasingly more responsible leadership roles within their organizations. Both leaders and managers must think and act strategically, systemically, and collaboratively. Such action requires sound judgment predicated on critically thinking; activating and using personal values and integrity in service to the organization; gaining skills suitable for leading during times of stability and instability; and developing communication skills that compel people and organizations to chart the future while also thriving in the present. At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to: critically analyze their own organizations and clearly and convincingly articulate their analysis and findings; identify the skills and characteristics necessary for successful leadership; analyze their own leadership capabilities; and apply what they have learned to the administration of justice. Students will engage with each other, the instructor, and the subject matter through a variety of learning opportunities: readings, movies, self-reflection, critical thinking, assessment and analysis, individual writings, and group assignments.
CJ 814 Seminar in Advanced Management – Historical Foundations/Contemporary Frameworks of Judicial Administration (Fall)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with knowledge about the historical foundations of the judicial branch and the formation of judicial administration, thus providing the context for the role and responsibilities of the courts in contemporary American society. Students will be exposed to five distinct course segments taught by six different instructors. The historical foundations will address the question of why courts exist, how they continue to evolve, and how courts are guided from legal mandates to public perceptions. Tracing the historical foundations will expose students to the development of a new profession—court management. The role of the court manager will be analyzed in the context of judicial branch mores, ethical codes, and culture. The business of the courts—caseflow management—and essential court operations, which support the resolution of disputes, will be fully explored in light of traditional and current challenges to case processing like pro se litigants, therapeutic courts, and performance measurements. The course also encompasses visioning and strategic planning as a tool for introducing and implementing change. Students will be engaged in the subject matter through readings, group discussions, writing assignments, and analysis of case data.
5) MSU Office of Financial Aid: http://finaid.msu.edu/
6) MSU Office of the Registrar: http://www.reg.msu.edu/
