UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Honors Program

College of Criminal Justice Honors Program Mission and Overview

Mission Statement
The mission of the College of Criminal Justice Honors Program is to provide highly motivated undergraduate majors with a more extensive liberal arts education, a more flexible curriculum, greater opportunity for student-faculty interaction, and the experience of independent research. These opportunities maximize the benefits of a small college within a large university, and will be invaluable to those planning to continue their education in graduate and professional school.

Overview
Students are invited into the Criminal Justice Honors Program by the admissions committee of University Honors Office. The Criminal Justice Honors Program is part of the University Honors Program. For students entering Northeastern, admission is based on SAT scores and high school QPA. Students may also enter the Criminal Justice Honors Program during their undergraduate studies, at the end of the first semester of their freshman year or the beginning of their sophomore year based on a 3.4 or better cumulative average. They may also join at the beginning of their junior year with the same gradepoint average if they intend to complete the Honors Project.

Students in the Criminal Justice Honors Program will enroll in designated (honors) sections of core Criminal Justice courses, as well as several honors seminars within the broader university honors program. These courses offer smaller class sizes, more in-depth study, greater faculty-student interaction, and a more flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum.

Honor students are also encouraged to pursue in-depth study with College faculty members, particularly through the honors project. These more engaging and individualized academic experiences will allow honors students to identify and pursue their academic and professional interests.

Those considering graduate or professional school will find the Honors Program invaluable. The opportunities for discovery, interaction with faculty, study in small seminars, and self-directed research experiences will all help prepare students to successfully apply for and eventually complete more rigorous and competitive graduate and professional programs. Honors students who graduate with distinction (by completing an honors thesis) are also invited to apply for one full-tuition scholarship in the graduate program in the College of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University.

For a description of the honor's program curriculum click here.

Junior/Senior Honors Project Guidelines

The Junior/Senior Honors Project is a culminating experience in a student’s academic career. It is an opportunity for students to work with a faculty member in an in-depth study and to explore research issues and topics of interest to them. To graduate with College of Criminal Justice honor’s distinction students must complete an honors project. Honor project approval must first be achieved through the College Honors Committee, and once accepted then forwarded to the University’s Honors Program for approval.

Completion of the Junior/Senior Honors Project requires eight credits of academic independent research (CJU970 and CJU971) over two semesters.

A student should discuss plans for the project with his/her academic advisor, faculty members, and the current Criminal Justice Honors Advisor. The following procedures outline the major steps required to complete the Junior/Senior Honors Project.

Procedures

1. Obtain the support, participation and agreement of a faculty member:
The selection of a faculty member to direct a student’s project should be based on a student’s interest in a faculty member’s research interests, or on a student’s interest in a class taken with a specific faculty member.
Students should meet with a faculty member to discuss the possibility of an honor’s project at the end of their middler year or beginning of their junior year. They may also meet with the advisor of the Criminal Justice Honors Committee to seek guidance on who to ask to supervise their honors project.

2. Relate the research component of the project:
Proposed honors projects must focus on a topic relevant to the study of crime and/or justice. Examples include but are not limited to research issues that concern the operation and management of criminal, juvenile, civil or administrative justice systems, the determinants of crime, legal decision-making, and how justice relates to personal, legal and other organizational structures in society.

Once students have selected their research topic, they must submit a research plan that identifies both the themes and the methodological approach of the proposed research. A research schedule is submitted indicating targeted dates for completing various stages of the project. The following outline lists the possible research directions that students pursue in their study of crime and justice.

The proposed project must relate to any of the following:

(a) a paper based on original empirical research in the area of crime and/or justice;
(b) a paper based on secondary analysis of existing criminological and criminal justice data;
(c) a thorough and systematic literature review surrounding a relevant question in criminal justice or criminology that organizes existing literature in a new, more useful way;
(d) a synthesis of existing theories relating to criminal justice or criminology, or a new theory, based on existing research, relating to criminal justice or criminology;
(e) a paper in law review format that covers some issue relevant to criminal law, procedure, or policy; or
(f) any other project approved by the student’s honors project advisor and the Honors Committee that:

(i) includes substantial academic content,
(ii) bears substantial relevance to the student’s intended, desired, or proposed academic or employment career,
(iii) and demonstrates relevance to the study of crime and/or justice.

3. Prepare the project proposal:
The purpose of the Honors Junior/Senior Project Proposal is to present a clear plan of the proposed Honors Project in a way that allows the Honors Committee to provide constructive feedback regarding the importance and practicality of the project. The student in consultation with the Project Chair should complete this proposal.

The proposal should be no more than four typed pages and should generally cover the areas listed below:

• Title - The title should be descriptive of the entire project in a single sentence;

• Introduction and Project Overview and Focus – Introduce the topic generally telling what the project is about. State your central research question, which may also be in the form of one or more hypotheses;

• Research Significance – Explain the significance or importance of your research. Why is the research question important? This part of the proposal describes the broader context for your project. It typically includes the relevant literature and general context for your research question. The purpose is to locate your project in the context of existing research and will vary depending on the type of project chosen (see options a through f above). The proposal should also indicate how the findings might be useful to policy or practice;

• Research Methodology and Resources – Explain how you will study and answer the research question. Describe the research methodology (e.g., interviews, surveys, or literature reviews) and what kind of resources you will need to complete the project. This section should also include some discussion of the actual steps you will take in order to get the information you need (particularly in cases where interviews, field research, surveys, and secondary analysis are included). As part of this section, briefly describe the schedule of activities you will engage in to complete your project. If applicable, include a budget with projected expenses and explain their importance to the research project;

• Ethical issues- Does your project include any participants, observations, or access to confidential information? You will need to address issues of confidentiality or anonymity and submit the project to the University’s Institutional Review Board for approval. (Discuss this with your advisor or any member of the Honors Committee).
  

Append the following to your four-page proposal:

• Personal Qualifications – Describe coursework and other experiences that provide you with the skills and qualifications to complete this research.
  
  
• Bibliography – List scholarly materials (e.g., books and journal articles) that are relevant to your research.

4. Submit the project proposal to Criminal Justice Honors Committee:
The project will take place over two semesters. Submit the written project proposal (outlined above) along with a completed Junior/Senior Honors Project Approval Form. For a copy of the Approval Form click here.

Proposals should be submitted according to the following deadlines:

Semester for Course Credit		Proposal Submission Deadline
Summer 2005		March 15, 2005
Fall 2005		March 15, 2005
Spring 2006		November 1, 2005

Students must meet these deadlines to allow adequate time for review by the Criminal Justice Honors Committee. Student projects must be approved by the final exam week of the semester preceding the beginning of the project. Student projects should be approved by the final exam week of the semester preceding the beginning of the project.

Faculty and Student Responsibilities

A faculty member who agrees to serve as the student’s Project Chair is to assist the student in preparing a proposal. Once the proposal is accepted, it is also the responsibility of the Project Chair to provide guidance, assess progress and submit the student’s final grades. In Progress (IP) grades will need to be changed to reflect the final grade (using a standard change of grade form). Faculty responsibility also includes meeting University IRB requirements for the protection of human subjects.

Students are responsible for submitting required forms and copies of their proposal, and their completed project along with a letter of approval from the project chair to the College Honors Committee. The deadlines for dates of submission and review will be posted. Students will need to provide final copies of their completed research project to the Project Chair, College of Criminal Justice Honors Committee, and the University Honors Program (one to each).

Project Materials Forwarded to Honors Program Office
The Criminal Justice Honors Committee sends the approved project proposal and the signed Approval Form to the University Honors Program Office during exam week of the semester preceding the beginning of the project.

Upon receipt of these materials the University Honors Program Office sends an approval letter to the student. The University Honors Program Office uses a Directed Study Form to register the student for the appropriate credit (CJU970 and CJU971 are assigned for eight-credit research projects).

A copy of the approval letter also is sent to the project chair and the Criminal Justice Honors Program Advisor.

Funding Opportunities:

1. Limited funds from the University Honors Program are available to defer appropriate research-related expenses. Approved expenses with documentation (receipts, etc.) may, upon prior College honor’s committee approval, be reimbursed for some project expenses given appropriate documentation (i.e., receipts).
   
   
2. Matthews Honors Scholarship and the Gladys Brooks Honors Scholarship
   Students who are approved for the Junior/Senior Honors Project may apply for the Matthews and the Gladys Brooks award. Each year two or three awards are given from both funds. These awards provide a salary during one co-op term while the student works full-time on the project. Applications are available in the spring semester with a deadline near the end of the semester. See the University Website for additional details. (www.honors.neu.edu).

   Students should contact the University Honors Program office for more information on applications for funding.