Program Coordinator:
Dr. Cheryl Banachowski-Fuller

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice is designed for criminal justice and social service professionals who wish to continue graduate education or who need additional knowledge and skills to advance to higher-level positions in their profession.

A student will earn the Master of Science in Criminal Justice upon successful completion of 30 credits. The core requirements will be the 15 credits required for the Graduate Diploma in Criminal Justice (see below). In addition to the 15 credit core, the student must take 15 credits of graduate-level courses in a selected area of emphasis, in consultation with an academic advisor.

Required Courses:
CJ 703 Criminal Justice Systems
CJ 713 Criminal Justice Research & Statistical Methods
CJ 723 Criminological Theory
CJ 733 Law as Social Control
CJ 783 Advanced Research in Criminal Justice

With an academic advisor's help, a student will develop an educational plan consistent with specific goals from one of the following emphasis areas: 

A. Criminal Justice Theory
This emphasis is appropriate for those who wish to continue graduate education in a Ph.D. program, teach at a two-year college, or embark on a career in governmental research.

B. Criminal Justice Management
This emphasis is appropriate for those seeking promotion to supervisory or administrative positions in a variety of criminal justice settings.

C. Victim and Offender Services
This emphasis is appropriate for those interested in working with crime victims, juveniles, probation and parole clients, or providing services in institutional or community-based settings.
 

Diploma in Criminal Justice Description

The Diploma in Criminal Justice is designed to service criminal justice and social service professionals who need additional knowledge and skills to advance to higher levels in their profession. The Diploma in Criminal Justice will be offered entirely online. The diploma is earned upon the successful completion of a set of five core graduate courses.
 

Program Coordinator Profile

Dr. Cheryl Banachowski-Fuller is the program coordinator of the Criminal Justice Distance Education Program. Along with her current duties and responsibilities as program coordinator, Dr. Banachowski-Fuller continues to develop and teach graduate and undergraduate courses in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. 

Her commitment to the university also includes serving on several university, college, and departmental committees as well as serving as academic and faculty advisor for criminal justice majors and student associations. 

Dr. Banachowski-Fuller has been awarded several grants to engage in extensive research on youth peer pressure to commit delinquent behavior. She has presented papers in this area as well as other research at state, regional, and national conferences. 

She is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Correctional Association, and the Mid-Western Criminal Justice Association. Presently, she serves on the Board of Directors for Family Advocates for Grant, Iowa, Lafeyette, and Crawford Counties; and the Community Relations Board for the Wisconsin Supermax Prison. Before coming to UW-Platteville, Dr. Banachowski-Fuller taught at Fayetteville State University, East Carolina State University, and Pembroke State University in North Carolina.