Overview
The University of Baltimore is an upper-division university that offers the junior and senior years, limited sophomore opportunities, and graduate study in three divisions: the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, the Merrick School of Business, and the School of Law. The Master of Science in criminal justice is offered by the Division of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Social Policy within Gordon College.

The University of Baltimore was founded as a private institution in 1925 and is now part of the University System of Maryland. Total student enrollment is approximately 4,600.

Most of the students in the program are in their 20s and 30s, typically mature and confident of their professional objectives. Many are preparing to move into upper-level management positions at their places of work in various federal, state, and local agencies. Most are already working in the field as administrators, planners, researchers, operational officers, and caseworkers. Others have recently completed their undergraduate education and are striving to learn more about their chosen field or to advance to further education or employment in law enforcement, corrections, or law. This diverse mix of students, as well as the close connection the program has with a variety of criminal justice agencies on all levels, produces graduates with tremendous leadership potential in all areas of criminal justice.

The Community
Baltimore has received national recognition for its renaissance. It is a thriving city with cultural, athletic, educational, and recreational opportunities. The University of Baltimore is located in the city's cultural corridor. The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Lyric Opera House, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Baltimore Museum of Art are within 1 mile. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Ravens' PSINet Stadium, and Harborplace are about 3 miles south of campus. Annapolis, on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, is a 45-minute drive, and Washington, D.C., is a 1-hour commute. The University is across the street from Penn Station, which serves both Amtrak and the state's MARC trains.

Programs of study and degree requirements
Students participate in a 36-credit-hour advanced professional program that enhances their ability to understand and contribute to criminal justice policy and practice, particularly as it is administered and managed in urban America. All students are provided with a firm foundation of knowledge and competence in the areas of criminal justice planning and research, criminological theory, and the processes by which criminal justice is administered. In addition, students engage in the study of law enforcement, corrections, and courts and law and specialize in one area. Students who successfully complete the program will have acquired an understanding of the entire criminal justice system and process through the integration of knowledge, the evaluation of scientific and scholarly literature, and the planning, implementation, and analysis of criminal justice programs and practices. In addition to the M.S. in criminal justice, the program offers professional certificates in police administration and correctional administration. The certificates are not the academic equivalent of a master's degree; they are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of practicing professionals.

Faculty members are intensively involved in research, and students who demonstrate an interest and ability have the opportunity to assist professors in their research endeavors. These activities are varied and focus on numerous areas of the criminal justice system and process, including law enforcement, courts, corrections, theory development, and program evaluation. Students who elect the thesis option to complete their degree requirements are guided through an independent research project with full support from faculty members. The College offers funding for graduate assistantships, and, each semester, the program selectively engages a number of students as graduate assistants. By becoming involved in research, students are better prepared to perform policy analyses, give counsel, write scientific papers and operational manuals, present papers at professional meetings, and consult with various commissions and agencies.

Facilities & Resources
The University's computing facilities include a high-speed local area network and servers connecting five open-access microcomputer labs. In addition, the division maintains a microcomputer lab and a computer research lab with full multimedia Pentium computers. The research lab permits and facilitates survey research projects, legal research, and other forms of criminal justice research. Langsdale Library houses hundreds of books and journals in the areas of criminology and criminal justice. UB students can easily access materials from any campus of the University System of Maryland. In addition to print materials, Langsdale subscribes to more than 50 electronic databases, including several specifically related to criminal justice. Access is available both on and off campus. The University's law library has an extensive collection of legal material relevant to criminal justice, including all fifty state statutes and a complete collection of Federal Reporters.

Expenses and Aid
In 2004-–05, liberal arts graduate students living in Maryland pay $326 per credit hour for tuition; out-of-state students pay $484 per credit hour. All part-time students (fewer than 8 credit hours) pay the University's per-credit fee of $37 and $60 for the University's flat fee. All part-time students taking 8 or more credit hours pay a flat fee of $288.50 and an additional fee of $60. All students takinig 12 or more credits pay a flat fee of $494. All students pay an application fee. Students may pay tuition and fees with cash, check, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa.

Financial Aid: The financial aid office on campus assists graduate students in obtaining loans, scholarships, and other means of assistance. A select number of graduate assistantships, which provide tuition remission and a stipend, are available.

Housing/Living Expenses: The University of Baltimore is a commuter campus with no on-campus student housing currently available. University-affiliated housing is located within one block of campus. Assistance in locating affordable housing is provided by the student involvement office. Located in midtown Baltimore, at an exit off of the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83), its proximity to the MARC train station, major bus routes, and its own light-rail stop makes the campus an easy commute from a variety of neighborhoods.

How to Apply
For admission, students need to have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale. A GRE score is not required. Interested students should obtain an application package from the University's Office of Graduate Admissions.

Kathleen J. Block, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice; Ph.D., Maryland. Juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, age and crime, criminal courts. Conducted federally funded research and is published in a variety of professional journals, including Journal of Crime and Justice.

Jami R. Grant, Assistant Professor, Forensic Studies Program Director; Ph.D., Maryland. Law enforcement, violent crime, environmental criminology and the geography of crime. Authored several publications on homicide and gun crime.

Heather Pfeifer, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice; Ph.D., Maryland. Juvenile justice, violent juvenile offenders, risk assessment, criminological theory.

Jeffrey Ian Ross, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice; Ph.D., Colorado. Policing, political crime, violent crime, international/comparative perspectives.

Cindy J. Smith, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice; Ph.D., California, Irvine. Juvenile justice, juvenile sex offenders, juvenile treatment and legal interventions. Research on issues of juvenile justice has been funded continuously by federal and state agencies since 1997.

Benjamin Wright, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice, and Division Chair; Ph.D., Florida State. Law enforcement, courts, law. Recipient of the Henry C. Wellcome Fellowship and author of several publications on law enforcement strategies and personnel issues.

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