Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology and Criminal Justice - Terrorism Studies

UMass Lowell's doctoral degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary, research-oriented degree designed to provide a theoretically grounded, methodologically sophisticated and statistically rigorous education.This curriculum provides for a sequence of courses in theory, practice and methodology with a focus on the study of terrorism in all its forms. The curriculum builds upon faculty research strengths and offers substantive courses which address current manifestations of terrorism and other forms of sub-state violence, security policy and practice, civil wars, and the nexus of technology and security.

We expect our graduates to be the next generation of security professional and scholars. In order to achieve this objective, our doctoral program engages in academic education and professional development. These interrelated components are designed to offer students a world-class education in the different facets of contemporary security threats and responses to these challenges, while creating a community of security professionals. Our overall goal is to provide doctoral students with the intellectual, conceptual, analytical and theoretical tools to understand the nature, implications, root causes and complex challenges posed by security threats in the twenty-first century, as well as the various policies and strategies which were developed to counter these threats. Thus, our students will be able to compete effectively both in the academic market (thus fill teaching positions in institutions of higher education) as well as in the private and governmental markets (thus fill positions in various policy oriented organizations and agencies).