Providing further expertise for those working within the criminal justice system

    About The Program

    Northern’s Behavioral and Justice Studies Graduate Certificate will allow you to gain further expertise for working with populations involved in the criminal justice system, such as in a prison, in community corrections, juvenile detention, the state or federal government, or those who are victims of crimes.

     

    This graduate certificate is meant to be a stand-alone credential option for students not seeking a master’s degree. It can also be an entry point for the NSU Counseling Master's Degree. Completing this graduate certificate will earn you 12 credits toward the master’s degree.

     

    Contact Information

    For more information, contact the NSU Office of Graduate Studies at gradstudies@northern.edu or 605-626-2558.

    Kristi Brownfield

     

    Ph.D., Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

     

    Dr. Brownfield joined the NSU faculty in 2015. Her current research looks at deviance and “bad behavior” in online forums devoted to support networks. She recently has published articles on depictions of prisons in film and rural policing on television.

     

    Courses Taught
    SOC 100  Introduction to Sociology
    OC 281  Socio-Cultural Theory
    CJUS/SOC 485  Capstone
    Other courses offered on a rotational basis

     

    Research Interests/Areas of Expertise

    Popular culture

    New media research methods

    Online phenomena

    Race/class/gender

    Social psychology, identity, narrative, and deviance

    Jeff Howard

    Chair, NSU Institutional Review Board

     

    Ph.D., M.A., Wichita State University

    M.S., Fort Hays State University

    B.A., Washburn University

    B.S., Kansas State University

     

    Website

     

    Dr. Jeffrey Howard joined NSU's faculty in 2009. He received a Ph.D. degree in human factors psychology from Wichita State University, Wichita, Kan., in 2007; an M.A. degree in experimental psychology from Wichita State University in 2004; an M.S. degree in clinical psychology from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kan., in 2001; a B.A. degree in psychology from Washburn University, Topeka, Kan., in 1999; and a B.S. degree in radio/TV journalism from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., in 1990.

     

    Research Interests

    Music cognition

    Stimulus perception in…

    Shalini Mathew

    Ph.D. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

    M.Phil. Martin Luther Christian University

    M.S. Mahatma Gandhi University

    B.S. Mahatma Gandhi University

     

    CV

     

    Dr. Shalini Mathew is an assistant professor, field coordinator and Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) liaison for the master’s in counseling program. She is a National Board of Certified Counselors nationally certified counselor. She is serving as a site visit team member on the CACREP team of site visitors.

     

    Dr. Mathew earned a doctor of philosophy degree in rehabilitation counseling and counselor education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (2019), a master of philosophy degree in school counseling from Martin…

    Pamela Monaghan-Geernaert professor

    Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University, 2002

    M.A., Idaho State University, 1993

    B.A., University of Calgary, 1989

     

     

    Dr. Pamela Monaghan-Geerneart has been a member of the faculty in the department of history and social sciences at Northern State University since the fall of 2019.  

     

    Courses Taught 

    SOC 100  Introduction to Sociology 

    Soc 261  Human Sexuality 

    Soc 423  Social Stratification 

    Soc 491  Medical Sociology 

    Soc 350  Race and Ethnic Relations 

    INDG 404  Contemporary Issues in Native and Indigenous Communities 

    INED 411/511  South Dakota Indian Studies 

     

    Research Interests 

    Home health care …

    Christopher Near

    Ph.D., Sociology, University of Michigan, 2016

    B.A., Sociology, Indiana University, 2010

     

     

    Dr. Christopher Near joined Northern State University in 2020 as an assistant professor. He taught previously at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

     

    Courses Taught

    CJUS 201 Introduction to Criminal Justice

    CJUS 203 Policing in a Free Society (online)

    CJUS 380 Research/Data Analysis in Criminal Justice

    CJUS 401 Law and Society (online)

    CJUS 433 Criminal Procedure (online)

    SOC 351 Criminology

    SOC 455 Juvenile Delinquency (online)

     

    Research Interests

    White-collar crime and corporate wrongdoing

    Family structure and children's behavior problems

     

    Recent Publications

    Bixi Qiao
    Ph.D. University of Kansas, 2021
    M.S. University of Kansas, 2018
     
    Dr. Qiao joined NSU in 2021. She earned a Ph.D. in 2021 and a master’s degree in 2018 from University of Kansas, with a specialization in development and learning. Her research has focused on developmental and cultural issues related to bullying, such as peer influences, empathy skills, teacher-student relationship, organizational climate, and cognitive, emotional, and professional influences of bullying, responses towards bullying, coping with bullying, and institutional policy on bullying.
     
    Courses Taught
    PSYC 101 General Psychology
    PSYC 221 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
    PSYC 300 Introduction to Scientific Psychology
    PSYC 304 History of Psychological Ethics
    PSYC 325 Child and Adolescent Development
    PSYC 451 Psychology of Abnormal Behavior
    PSYC 492/…