Program News

Trine adds new LAw concentration (2/7/2013)

The Trine University School of Professional Studies will offer the addition of a NEW Law Concentration to Trine University’s Master of Science with a Major in Criminal Justice (“MSCJ”) Program which will officially be offered starting Summer 2013. 

The addition of a fourth concentration in Law adds a new dimension to the MSCJ program.  This concentration is designed for individuals interested in working as leaders in local, state, and federal governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private corporate settings, among others, whereby an in-depth understanding of the law is essential.   The Law Concentration consists of five law classes that students will take upon completion of the initial seven core MSCJ classes. 

Trine adds new forensic psychology concentration (3/19/2012)

ANGOLA, Ind. Beginning this fall, the Trine University School of Professional Studies will offer a new, online forensic psychology concentration for students in the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program.

Forensic psychology is the interaction of the practice or study of psychology and the law. The best example of this line of work can be seen on the CBS hit series, “Criminal Minds,” which follows a team of profilers from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Psychologists in this field work everywhere, from prisons, jails and rehabilitation centers to government agencies and universities.

This concentration would be helpful to criminal justice graduate students who are interested in helping victims, working with mentally ill criminals, profiling victims and offenders or understanding juvenile delinquents, sex offenders and children that have witnessed criminal acts.

“I want to help people interested in pursuing a career in the field of forensic psychology to better understand the many elements associated to criminal deviation and unconventional behaviors alike,” said Trine instructor Erica Hutton, who has developed the program.  “Such knowledge would increase the efficacy for those students employed within police departments, victims’ services units, prisons, within the realm of counseling and more.”

Hutton, an instructor in the criminal justice, psychology and social science department, earned her bachelor’s degree from Liberty University, she earned her master’s degree in criminal justice and forensic psychology from Argosy University. She currently is pursuing her doctorate. She completed her dissertation research at the Miami-Dade Police Department Robbery Bureau where she gathered data from crime scenes related to home-invasion robbery and established a baseline for home-invasion offender typologies.

Core courses for the concentration include the theory and practice of forensic psychology, psychopathology, evaluation and treatment of specialized populations and victimology. In addition, students will be required to complete a development project. 

For more information about the criminal justice master’s program or the concentration, contact program director Julia Jordanich, Ph.D., at jordanichj@trine.edu.

First class has 100 percent retention

The first class of criminal justice majors have earned master of science degrees at Trine University Fort Wayne.

The one-year course, approved by the Higher Learning Commission in fall 2007, ran from January-December, 2008. Trine delivered the course at the Public Safety Academy in Fort Wayne. One hundred percent of students completed studies. A second group began criminal justice master's degrees in September 2008.