Online Graduate Certificate in Victim Studies
Gain specialized knowledge of crime victim issues, rights and formal responses to victims with UMass Lowell's Graduate Certificate in Victim Studies. This four-course online certificate program will provide you with the background necessary to understand the strengths and limitations of current crime victim responses. This program will prepare you to participate in initiatives that prevent crime victimization, engage in research and evaluation, and respond effectively to victims in a culturally appropriate manner. Customize your program by choosing from a list of electives that can help you build specific skills and knowledge.
Many of the credits earned in this certificate program can be applied toward UMass Lowell's Online Master's Degree in Criminal Justice. The significant increase in crime rates since the pandemic indicate a high demand for individuals who can support crime victims.
Complete in 9 Months
One of the Most Affordable Tuitions in the Nation
No GRE Required
One Success Leads to Another
Apply credits from lower credentials to higher ones. Our programs are designed to build upon themselves:
Curriculum Outline
- Required Courses: 1
- Electives: 3
Required Courses (1 / 3cr)
- CRIM.6300 Victimology
Victimization Electives (Choose 1 / 3cr)
- CRIM.6320 Responding to Child Maltreatment
- CRIM.5600 Gender, Race and Crime
- CRIM.6310 Intimate Partner Violence
- PSYC.5090 Psychological Approaches to Child Maltreatment
Note: CRIM.5600, CRIM.6310 or PSYC.5090 can not be used as skills and knowledge electives if they have been used as the victimology elective.
Additional electives are available in the traditional on-campus format. Please contact cjgradadvisor@uml.edu for information on availability of on-campus electives in the Victim Studies program.
Skills and Knowledge Electives (Choose 2 / 6cr)
- PSYC.5090 Psychological Approaches to Child Maltreatment
- CRIM.5200 Administration of Justice
- CRIM.5600 Gender, Race and Crime
- CRIM.6130 Law and Public Policy
- CRIM.6510 Criminal Homicide
- CRIM.5910 Research Design
- CRIM.6310 Intimate Partner Violence
- CRIM.6320 Responding to Child Maltreatment
- CRIM.6500 Violence in America
Course Descriptions
CRIM.5200 Administration of Justice (3cr)
An examination of the components of the criminal justice system and a review of the administration of federal, state and local criminal justice agencies, including a focus on criminal law and procedure.
CRIM.5600 Gender, Race and Crime (3cr)
The implications of criminal laws, criminal justice practices and programs. Focus on inequalities based on gender, race and class.
CRIM.5910 Research Design (3cr)
Research design is a graduate-level introduction to methodology as used in criminology/criminal justice. The course surveys the research design enterprise and covers a host of issues on the measurement and collection of data, and other procedures that influence whether a research study will lead the investigator to scientifically rigorous information. This course explains various strategies for devising social science studies, compares the relative benefits of various designs, and identifies the tools necessary to conduct studies that will yield data worthy of analysis and interpretation. This material will be valuable for students who will conduct research and administrators who must evaluate the research of others.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6130 Law and Public Policy (3cr)
The course is an introduction to crime and the efforts to control crime through public policy. We explore the foundations of the policy-making process at the federal, state, and local levels. The course also considers broad theoretical applications pertaining to public opinion, national culture, and comparative analyses among Western democracies and their differing approaches to crime. This course employs a variety of learning tools, from roundtable discussions to policy cases.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6300 Victimology (3cr)
This course examines the study of crime victims and of the patterns, impact, and formal responses to criminal victimization. Particular attention is given to research issues such as measurement of victimization, fear of crime and related measures, and conducting research with victimized populations, as well as discussion of current issues in the field of Victimology. Substantive topics may include theories of victimization, the overlap between victims and offenders, social-psychological and other impacts of victimization on primary and secondary victims, media coverage of victimization, and evaluation of prevention and intervention programs for victims (criminal justice system based programs and others).
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6310 Intimate Partner Violence (3cr)
An examination of the nature and extent of intimate partner violence and an analysis of the causes and consequences of violence between partners as well as the latest research regarding the criminal justice response.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6320 Responding to Child Maltreatment (3cr)
Introduction to empirical findings and theoretical perspectives concerned with the maltreatment of children and youth. Includes an examination of prevalence rates, risk factors, consequences, and system responses.
CRIM.6500 Violence in America (3cr)
This course provides an in-depth analysis of the causes, context, and control of a wide range of violent crimes. Topics covered in this class include: Murder, rape, robbery, assault, and violence in the helping professions, the workplace, school, gang violence, cult violence, and institutional violence. For each form of violence, we examine issues related to(1) the extent of the problem, characteristics of the crime, victim, and offender, (2) causation, (3) crime prevention, and (4)crime control strategies.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6510 Criminal Homicide (3cr)
A survey of the nature and extent of criminal homicide. There will be five main components: statutory definitions of homicide; theories of homicide; homicide rates over time and across jurisdictions; trends and patterns in homicide characteristics; and cross-cultural comparisons. Homicide is an important topic in criminology for three reasons: (1) it is the crime of greatest severity in any penal code; (2) it is a fairly reliable barometer of all violent crime; and (3) at a national level, no other crime is measured as accurately, precisely, and comprehensively.
PSYC.5090 Psychological Approaches to Child Maltreatment (3cr)
The course addresses the painful topic of Child Maltreatment in the context of research on optimal, typical, and unacceptable treatment of children, as maltreatment cannot be considered apart from acceptable and even optimal treatment. The impact of maltreatment on the development of the child from the first growth of physical organs in the prenatal infant through the development of moral reasoning in the adolescent is addressed. Both theories and research will be discussed.
Graduate Certificate Requirements
Students enrolled in graduate certificate programs through UMass Lowell must complete all courses indicated in the curriculum outline. Students may complete the certificate program at their own pace by registering for and successfully completing one or more courses each semester, depending upon his/her personal time constraints. Students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.000 with no more than one course grade below B to receive the certificate.
Online courses meet throughout the year during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters (see Calendar for details). Online students generally log into their online course website one or more times per week to retrieve lectures and assignments or to participate in a chat session. Online students should expect to spend 6 to 10 hours per week engaged in course-related activities for each course. For more information on online courses, visit our online program home page .
Completing a Graduate Certificate Program
Graduate certificate courses must be completed within a five-year period with a minimum 3.000 grade point average and no more than one course with a grade below B. Once all courses for a graduate certificate have been completed, students must complete and submit the Graduate Certificate Clearance Form. Students must submit their clearance form to their coordinator. The coordinator will apply them in SIS, Graduation Tracking.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition at UMass Lowell is typically half the cost of private colleges, and our online tuition is among the lowest in the nation. Tuition for online programs offered through the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies is the same whether you live in-state, out-of-state or outside of the U.S.
Fall 2023 Tuition |
Cost Per Credit | Cost Per 3-Credit Course* |
|---|---|---|
Graduate |
||
| Online | $585 | $1,755 |
| Online Business** | $655 | $1,965 |
| Online IT and Engineering*** | $600 | $1,800 |
| Online Education | $470 | $1,410 |
| Online Education for Ed.D. and Ph.D. | $500 | $1,500 |
| On Campus | View Here | View Here |
Additional Costs |
|
|---|---|
| Term Registration Fee | $30 |
| Late Fee | $50 |
| Graduate Degree and Certificate Application | $50 |
Please note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.
Estimate the cost of this program with our online tuition calculator
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For Graduate Certificate Programs, Please Submit:
- An application
- An application fee*
- An official transcript indicating a completed bachelor's degree. If your bachelor's degree is from outside the United States, you may be required to take the TOEFL examination.
- No Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for graduate certificate programs
Applications can be completed and submitted at any time during the year. Your application will be processed as soon as all admission materials have been received. You may apply to more than one certificate program but can only take 12 credits maximum before enrolling in an advanced degree. Learn more about specific application requirements for your program of interest.
Count Your Graduate Certificate Toward a Master's Degree
Credits earned from a graduate certificate may be used toward a related graduate degree.
Graduate Program Admissions Requirements
Admission to all graduate programs at UMass Lowell is contingent upon successful completion of a bachelor's degree. In many cases, applicants may register for a course before formally applying to the program; however, students requiring financial aid may want to wait until they have been formally accepted into the program to ensure that their course(s) will be covered. Contact UMass Lowell's Office of Graduate Admissions if you have questions about the application process.
Questions Regarding Your Graduate Application?
Email Graduate_Admissions@uml.edu or call 800-656-4723 (for U.S. students) or 978-934-2390 (for international students).
For General Assistance:
For general questions about registering for courses or to find out who the advisor is for your graduate program, call 800-480-3190. Our admissions and advising teams are here to help!
