Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Crime Analysis

The curriculum includes coursework in environmental criminology, research methods, statistics, and crime mapping. The following table describes the 15-credit hour curriculum:

Crime analysis is a criminal justice occupational field that engages in the systematic analysis of data from a wide variety of sources in order to provide information about the patterns and trends of crimes in a locality, state, or nation. The work product of a crime analyst can be used to inform tactical and strategic decision making, support investigative efforts, assist in the study of resource needs, and facilitate the development of criminal justice policy.

Yes. The coursework you successfully complete as part of the PBC in Crime Analysis can be applied to help meet the degree requirements for a master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Radford University.  Two of the courses (CRJU 670 and CRJU 671) are required of all master’s students, and these courses would satisfy that requirement. In addition, the other three courses can be used as elective credit with up to six hours counting towards meeting the degree requirements.  Other graduate programs will typically accept 6 to 9 hours of transfer credit. Check with the individual schools for their current transfer policies.

You must first be admitted to Radford University as either a degree-seeking or certificate seeking graduate student. Students already enrolled as degree-seeking graduate students at Radford University are eligible to enroll in the PBC in Crime Analysis program. Students who are interested in the PBC in Crime Analysis, but do not presently desire to seek a master’s degree, must first complete an application to the Department of Criminal Justice graduate program as a certificate only seeking student.  Admission requirements include the following:  A minimum overall grade point average of 2.9 (also see below); two letters of reference from persons able to evaluate your academic ability/potential, at least one of which must be from a person outside the Radford University criminal justice faculty; an original academic writing sample applying scholarly written work in the field, and a personal statement about the reasons for seeking graduate study.  Applications for graduate admission are available from the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.  In addition, please submit to the Graduate College the form to add a post-baccalaureate certificate.

The entire crime analysis program can be completed online.  Some online courses are offered asynchronously, that is, without a required weekly meeting time; other online courses are offered synchronously, that is, with a required time each week that will be used for "virtual" class meetings.  There is no requirement to attend class on-campus. Some courses for the program may also be available in a traditional classroom setting, for students who prefer to complete them in that format.

Students enrolling in the program should have a working knowledge of the desktop environment, the use of the MS Office suite of programs, and be comfortable operating a web browser. It will be assumed that students are familiar with such routine operations as opening, modifying, saving and closing files. Students should also be comfortable in general file maintenance and storage on a computer. No special computer skills are needed, and those necessary to survive in a contemporary office environment are sufficient.

The minimum GPA requirement is a 2.9 GPA in your undergraduate work.  However, we recognize that many people have been out in the working world and their undergraduate GPA may not be the best indicator of success in graduate study. Applicants with a lower GPA may still be considered for admission, on a case-by-case basis, as long as they are able to provide proof of readiness for graduate study to the satisfaction of the Graduate Admissions Committee of the Department of Criminal Justice.

Anyone who has completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and meets the admission standardsfor graduate students in the Department of Criminal Justice at Radford University. Also, graduate students currently enrolled in a course of study at Radford University are eligible to participate in this program.

Students will need to have access to a computer with high-speed access (DSL, cable-modem, or through a LAN) to the Internet. This computer should have Microsoft Office software installed. In addition, the student should have administrator-status on the machine to facilitate the installation of various programs. The student should also have the ability to adjust or modify any firewall or other security settings to allow full access to the course support software (Adobe Connect and WebCT/Blackboard). While it may be possible to use a computer at your workplace, the security settings on such systems generally prohibit this.

Class size is limited, as each course enrolls approximately 15-20 students.

Yes.  All admitted graduate students are eligible to enroll in this program.

A post-baccalaureate certificate (PBC) is an educational certificate that attests to certain advanced graduate study in an area of concentration beyond the baccalaureate level. It is graduate-level coursework, but is less than the credit hours necessary to earn a Master’s degree. The PBC in crime analysis is a 15-credit hour program designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities for an entry level position as a crime analyst or to enhance the skills of a working analyst. It includes coursework in environmental criminology, research methods, statistics, crime analysis and crime mapping. Upon completion of the required curriculum, the student is awarded the PBC in Crime Analysis.

No. There is no testing requirement.

No.  While this is possible for degree seeking students, it is not allowed for non-degree seeking students enrolled in the PBC in Crime Analysis program.