In Short
Offered through our Master of Science (MS) in Criminal Justice program, Fitchburg State University’s Community Justice concentration provides a unique systems approach that envisions community-focused, holistic methods for building a more just society.
Students can complete the program entirely online in one to two years, enabling them to reach their academic and career goals without putting life on hold.
What is Community Justice?
Community justice refers to a set of practices and principles aimed at improving the quality of life within an area by addressing crime, social disorder, and related issues through community involvement and collaboration.
As such, it emphasizes a holistic approach to justice, focusing on prevention, restorative practices, and the reintegration of offenders rather than relying solely on punitive measures.
The Community Justice concentration in Fitchburg’s MS in Criminal Justice program prepares students to become a force for change in the world, contributing meaningfully to their communities and working in various contexts to restore relationships, reduce recidivism, and promote social harmony.
Concentration Overview
Social justice philosophies and practices are more embedded in the fabric of society and the overall criminal justice system than ever before. In response to these changes, the Community Justice concentration provides graduate students with a broader, more holistic, socially just systems approach to crime causation, deterrence, and cessation.
Program Length
Most of our students complete the online MS in Criminal Justice, Community Justice concentration within one to two years. However, students can take up to six years to complete the master's portion of the program.
Learn From the Experts
Sociological research, ethics, online criminology, interviewing techniques, and criminal investigations — these are just some of the areas in which our faculty members specialize. As leaders in the field, they pursue interdisciplinary projects, ask bold questions, and devise creative solutions to pressing challenges. As educators, they invest in their students’ success and encourage them to learn and grow to their fullest potential.
What Can You Do with a Community Justice MSCJ Degree?
Students in the Community Justice concentration receive a specialized education that prepares them for a range of roles with responsibilities such as working with youth and offenders, developing restorative practices, and leading and managing organizations within the community.
Our graduates may oversee programs that reduce recidivism and help offenders reintegrate into the community, as well as establish and implement strategies to reduce crime and enhance public safety. Often, their role requires them to facilitate community involvement with initiatives for justice or reform.
Those with a master’s degree in criminal justice can seek positions as:
- Case manager
- Community outreach coordinator
- Juvenile justice specialist
- Nonprofit program director
- Probation or parole officer
- Researcher or policy analyst
- Victim advocate
Fitchburg State students also benefit from the support of our Career Services team, which can help graduates explore employment opportunities, hone their resumes, prepare for interviews, and more.
Admissions Requirements
For admission to the MS in Criminal Justice, Community Justice concentration program, you must submit the following application materials:
- Official transcript. We require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.8.
- If you attended Fitchburg State University for your undergraduate education, please add the school to the Academic History Tab, and Fitchburg State will upload your transcript to your application on your behalf.
- Personal statement. In a statement of no more than 300 words, please describe how earning a master's degree in criminal justice would help you fulfill your personal and professional goals.
- Professional resume and references. Please upload a professional resume that sets forth, at a minimum, your educational and employment history. On your resume, please include the names and contact information of three references. At least two must be individuals under whose supervision you have worked in a professional capacity.
- No letters of recommendation. As long as you provide names and contact information for three professional references on your resume, you do not need to submit letters of recommendation. However, the criminal justice program reserves the right to request letters of recommendation.
Fitchburg State University reviews all completed applications on a rolling admission basis.
Tuition and Fees
As you prepare for your graduate education at Fitchburg State, it’s important to understand the cost of attendance and consider options for funding your degree. We provide comprehensive and transparent information about tuition and financial aid so you can confidently make financial decisions. Explore scholarship opportunities for graduate students or review graduate tuition and fees.
Hear from one of our current students Sarah Cahill.
Requirements and Curriculum
The online criminal justice master’s program consists of 30 credits, including a series of foundational courses that bolster students’ understanding of the systems and policies underpinning modern criminal justice practices.
The Community Justice concentration-specific courses propose that criminal justice activities may be decentralized to involve the community in policing, courts, and corrections. It offers students ways to engage the community to prevent crime and reduce the harmful consequences of criminal justice-related activities.
The three additional required concentration courses allow for the integration of such broader community justice philosophies and approaches into the criminal justice world, thereby eventually moving the "swinging pendulum" of justice to a more socially just place in society.
- Criminal Justice, Community Justice, MS - Information from the University Catalog
- Course rotation (PDF)
Online Criminal Justice Courses
Required Courses:
CJ 7240 - Criminal Justice Process (as required)
CJ 7320 - Crime Causation
CJ 8100 - Program Evaluation
CJ 8580 - Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice
CJ 9680 - Cultural Diversity and Communication
Additional Requirements for the Concentration:
CJ 7260 - Social Relations and the Legal System
CJ 7400 - Community Justice Approach to Criminal Justice
CJ 8350 - Community Reentry and Integration
Electives:
2 or 3 electives
- Describe the concepts and principles of community justice across different aspects of criminal justice, including policing, courts and corrections;
- Critically examine the aims, operation, and outcomes of community justice approaches
- Identify community partners and stakeholders important to community justice
- Examine examples of community justice approaches both locally and nationally
- Develop a community justice approach to an existing criminal justice practice
- Effectively communicate knowledge and ideas about community justice using a range of written and data presentation techniques
Still have questions? We're here to help!
If you have questions about the online Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Community Justice concentration program, we can help. Reach us via email, attend an information session, or watch one of our recorded webinars — we can’t wait to welcome you into the Fitchburg State family!
- Email an enrollment counselor at gce@fitchburgstate.edu or call 978.665.3182
- Attend an Information Session
- Watch a webinar