College Profiles - John Jay College

Overview
Founded in 1964, John Jay College of Criminal Justice is the unit of the City University of New York that emphasizes as its special mission criminal justice, forensic psychology, forensic science, fire science, and other related public service fields. The institution developed out of a recognition of the increasing complexity of law enforcement and the need for professionalization at all levels of the criminal justice system. Intended at its founding, as the College of Police Science, for members of the New York City Police Department, the College nevertheless has always welcomed civilian students with an interest in criminal justice. At present, approximately 20 percent of the College’s 14,000 students are members of uniformed criminal justice and fire service agencies; the majority of the students are civilian preprofessionals, many of whom plan careers in these areas. John Jay College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Most of the College’s students are residents of New York City and of surrounding communities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. All students commute to the College directly from their homes or from their places of employment. To accommodate students, such as police officers, who work rotating tours of duty, both day and evening courses are offered. A student may attend a class in the daytime or, with the same professor covering the identical material, in the evening, depending on his or her work assignment. Weekend courses are also offered.

The College also offers master’s degrees in criminal justice, forensic computing, forensic psychology, forensic science, protection management, and public administration. The Ph.D. in criminal justice is awarded through the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. A Ph.D. degree in forensic psychology is also available.

Location and Community
John Jay College occupies three buildings on the West Side of Manhattan at 59th Street and 10th Avenue—John Jay Square. One of the buildings was recently renovated and houses new classrooms, a theater, the world’s largest criminal justice library, administrative offices, and an extensive athletic facility. Within a radius of a mile are Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the New York theater district, Carnegie Hall, and numerous other cultural facilities. The College’s location not only makes access to major criminal justice agencies convenient but also offers all the aspects and resources of one of the most fascinating cities in the world as the background for its programs.

Academic Life
As a specialized college, John Jay emphasizes the particular areas of its mission—all aspects of the broad fields of criminal justice and fire science—against a background of the liberal arts. Thus, the humanities, physical sciences, and social sciences contrast and integrate with the practical and theoretical components of the study of these public service fields. Since many students at John Jay College are planning to enter or already are employed in public service fields, the interdisciplinary approach to education that is the basis of the College’s philosophy aims at a broadening and a further professionalization of their careers.

Candidates for the baccalaureate degree at John Jay College must fulfill certain broad educational requirements during the first half of their degree program (40—60 credits). In addition, all candidates must complete a major field of study of at least 36 credits. A minimum of 36 of the candidate’s total credits and at least 50 percent of the selected major must be completed in residence. The associate degree at John Jay requires completion of basic distribution requirements and a specialization program (64—67 credits).

The Interdisciplinary Studies Program offers an alternative way of meeting basic course requirements and of completing the liberal arts portion of the baccalaureate and associate degree programs. Students who enroll in Thematic Studies take a package of classes related to a specific theme, combining literature, sociology, psychology, ethnic studies, history, writing, philosophy, government, and criminal justice. Each course centers on a broad topic or theme, to which all classwork and projects are related. These interdisciplinary courses are taught by teams of 6 to 8 professors. Students undertake individual or group projects, supplementary lectures, readings, discussions, and papers.

With departmental approval, students may be awarded credit for successful scores on the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) subject tests, the Regents External Degree Examinations (REDE), and College Board Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Students may apply for and may be granted up to 30 credits for external and/or equivalent learning experiences.

The Certificate Program in Dispute Resolution is also available. This 30-credit, multidisciplinary program responds to the needs of personnel working in the criminal justice system as well as of those in other public and private sectors for training in the techniques of dispute resolution.
The College’s location in midtown Manhattan and its special focus on criminal justice and related fields offer unparalleled opportunities for students to earn academic credits while gaining experience. Internship courses, which provide 3 credits each, combine classes and supervision with practical experience in criminal justice and government agencies, cultural organizations, private businesses, and health, research, and nonprofit institutions. Internships are available in such places as legislators’ offices, hospitals, courts, New York City agencies, district attorneys’ offices, juvenile-diversion programs, museums, legal societies, fire and police departments, social service agencies, and federal agencies.

The cooperative education program provides alternating periods of paid employment and college work. Juniors and seniors with satisfactory college records may enter into this program with such employers as IBM, the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Marshals Service of the Department of Justice, and the Inspector General’s Office of the Department of Health and Human Services. No college credit is offered for this off-campus employment.
Programs are also offered in African-American studies and in Puerto Rican studies.

The faculty consists of nearly 400 full-time and 500 part-time members. All faculty members teach undergraduate courses, and teachers of graduate courses are drawn from the same group. Of the full-time faculty members, approximately 80 percent hold doctoral degrees.

While the John Jay College faculty has a representative background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, the special emphasis of the College has established as members of the faculty experienced practitioners in the fields of criminal justice and fire science, a large number of whom hold earned doctorates as well. Faculty members are encouraged to function as academic counselors to their students.

Majors Offered:
The Bachelor of Arts degree is granted in criminal justice, criminology, deviant behavior and social control, fire service administration, forensic psychology, government, international criminal justice, judicial studies, justice studies, and public administration. The Bachelor of Science degree is offered in computer information systems, correctional studies, criminal justice, criminal justice administration and planning, fire science, forensic science, legal studies, police studies, and security management.

A B.A./M.A. program, which enables particularly well-qualified students to earn both degrees in a shorter time than would be required to earn them individually, is offered in criminal justice and forensic psychology. A similar B.A./M.P.A. program in public administration is available.

The A.S. degree is granted in correction administration, police science, security management, and criminal justice.

Facilities and Resources
The library collection consists of more than 500,000 books, periodicals, microforms, and cassette tapes and supports the full range of the College’s curriculum and educational mission. The main strength of the collection is the holdings in the social sciences and criminal justice, public administration, and related fields and the growing bodies of material dealing with forensic science, fire science, and forensic psychology. Holdings in these areas are extensive and support the research needs of students and faculty members and of criminal justice agency personnel who are engaged in planning and development.

Five specially equipped laboratories are used to educate students in the professionally oriented forensic science program. In addition, research rooms are available for use by forensic science majors and faculty members.

The Security Management Lab provides hands-on training in computer security and other modern security systems and techniques that are applicable in the field.

The Microcomputer Laboratory consists of four separate labs for classroom instruction and individual assignments. The labs are staffed with supervisors and consultants who assist students in their individual projects.

Sports / Varsity Athletics
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice Athletic Program provides a comprehensive, competitive and fulfilling program in which all can feel pride, commitment and affiliation. The Program represents an exemplary model of intercollegiate athletics where athletic excellence is sought within the context of full support for the institution’s academic mission. Our goal is to attract, retain and graduate the finest student-athletes who in turn become loyal, supportive and proud alumni.

Expenses
For New York State residents, tuition costs are $180 per credit hour, or a maximum of $2000 per term. Tuition costs for out-of-state residents were $380 per credit hour. Tuition and fee charges are subject to change without prior notice by action of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York.

Financial Aid / Scholarships
Financial aid programs are available to assist students who would not otherwise be able to obtain a college education. John Jay College makes every effort to help as many students as possible with a combination of financial aid awards, such as Federal Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study Program employment, Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) awards, Federal Stafford Student Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), and veterans’ benefits. The College also awards scholarships in a variety of categories based on academic merit.

Admission Requirements / Application
An applicant for freshman admission must present evidence of having received a high school diploma from an accredited high school or a New York State Equivalency Diploma or have passed a General Educational Development (GED) examination during or after June 1970. Students from non-English-speaking countries must submit TOEFL scores.

Admission to the baccalaureate program for recent graduates of domestic high schools is determined using an index that weights specific performance indicators. Among these are high school academic average, academic units, and SAT or ACT scores. A diploma from an accredited high school, an equivalency diploma, or a diploma from a U.S. Armed Forces Institute is required for entrance to the College.

Applicants to the baccalaureate program who are not recent graduates of domestic high schools must have a high school academic average of at least 72.

Applicants who do not meet the baccalaureate criteria may be admitted to the associate degree program, provided they have an SAT score of at least 900, a minimum high school academic average of 72, or a GED score of at least 300.

Students who have attended a college or postsecondary institution must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 based on the total number of credits attempted and completed. Prospective transfer students with fewer than 12 credits must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, along with the prerequisite high school average and academic units for admission to the baccalaureate program.

Applicants who have attended college since graduation from high school may apply for admission with advanced standing.

For application materials and additional information, requests should be made to:

John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
445 West 59th Street, Room 4205
New York, New York 10019
212-ONE-STOP
877-JOHNJAY (toll-free)
http://www.jjay.cuny.edu