Department of Criminal Justice Administration
Welcome to the Department of Criminal Justice Administration at Middle Tennessee State
University. The CJA Department offers programs of study at both the undergraduate
and graduate levels.
At the undergraduate level, students may obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal
Justice Administration. Students majoring in CJA may choose concentrations in Law
Enforcement or Homeland Security. Minors in either Criminal Justice or Homeland Security
are offered for non-CJA majors.
At the graduate level, students may obtain a Master of Criminal Justice degree by
completing either a thesis track (33 hours) or a non-thesis track (36 hours) and successful
completion of the written comprehensive examination.
News, Upcoming Events, & More:
Thinking About Getting a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice?
At the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, our philosophy is that all students are able to learn, but getting a Master's degree may not be the best learning environment for everyone. The following questionnaire will help you gauge whether the M.C.J program at MTSU is for you. We want to stress that this assessment is used to raise your own awareness of factors and issues you will need to thoughtfully consider before pursuing an advanced degree. This assessment is not an admissions test, it is for your benefit; so, be honest with yourself when you answer!
If after taking the survey and exploring our website, you find that you have questions about the M.C.J program, feel free to contact Dr. Carter Smith at carter.smith@mtsu.edu.
If you do not have above 3.0 GPA, and have CJ experience since college that would mitigate such low grades, please contact Dr. Smith at carter.smith@mtsu.edu to explain the extenuating circumstances and discuss your potential for attaining an MCJ Degree.
Take the survey here: M.C.J Readiness Survey
Faculty/Student Collaboration Tackles Porch Piracy
The university is proud to annouce that the first empirical study of porch pirates
in the U.S. was conducted by four researchers affiliated with MTSU: Dr. Benjamin Stickle,
Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice; Graduate Criminal Justice
Teaching Assistant, Melody Hicks; Mathematics Instructor, Amy Stickle; and Computer
Science Student, Zachary Hutchinson.
The researchers analyzed the 67 home security videos that showed porch pirates committing theft so that they could examine the crime commission process. Some of their findings indicate that traditional situational crime prevention techniques may be ineffective at stopping thefts of packages, that homes situated close to roadways are likely more vulnerable to thefts, and that porch pirates did not appear to be deterred by the victim's presence on the property.
The article is called, "Porch Pirates: Examining Unattended Package Theft Through Crime Script Analysis" and was published in the Journal of Criminal Justice Studies. It can be downloaded for free here: https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2019.1709780 .
Students may begin applying for scholarships for Fall 2021 on October 1st. Here is the link to apply: www.mtsu.edu/scholarships/opportunities.
The Deadline to apply for scholarships is February 15th.
Office Phone:
615.898.2630
Email:
cjadept@mtsu.edu
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 238
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Department Main Office:
Academic Classroom Building 230