Criminal Justice, MA

Mission of the Program

Simpson College’s Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice (MACJ) is designed to meet the educational needs of professionals currently employed in the criminal justice system as well as those seeking to gain entry to a criminal justice career.  Students enrolled in Simpson’s MACJ program will develop a greater understanding of the criminal and juvenile justice process, the causes and conditions that contribute to criminal behavior, the relevant issues in law enforcement, administrative challenges, the adjudication process, and the correctional system.  Social justice, fairness, and integrity in one’s professional responses to others are integral to the overall mission of Simpson College and will be consistent themes evident in MACJ course work. 

In pursuit of the mission of the program, the MACJ learning objectives are:

• To apply criminological and criminal justice theory to concrete situations.  Rationale: development of effective policy requires theoretical application to constructively deal with problematic situations. 
• To analyze and interpret criminological and criminal justice system data.  Rationale: good policy decisions are dependent on critical thought and evidence-based evaluations. 
• To formulate ethical responses to professional situations.  Rationale: ethical behavior in relationships with colleagues and the public as well as ethical decision making practices are necessary to help ensure a just and fair criminal justice system.