About The Program
Northern's Behavioral Forensic Sciences Certificate will allow you to gain further expertise for 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.
The certificate will provide additional training for those needing or wanting more information related to criminology if they work in fields where clients intersect with the criminal justice world, or for those in law enforcement fields wanting more information about people dealing with mental health issues.
For more information about this degree, offered online and on campus, contact or call 605-626-2429. Or, contact NSU Admissions at 605-626-2544 or .
Our Faculty
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.
Research Interests/Areas of Expertise
Popular culture
New media research methods
Online phenomena
Race/class/gender
Social psychology, identity, narrative, and deviance
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
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
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Dr. Erin Kaszynski, LPC, received a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Texas A&M University-Commerce with an emphasis on multicultural counseling (2021); a Masters of Education in Counseling with a focus on Community Counseling from the University of North Texas (2014); and a Bachelor of Arts in Art from Austin College in Sherman, Texas (2002). She is a licensed professional counselor in Texas.
She has experience in community agencies as a clinician, clinical supervisor, and administrator. She has also worked as a counselor and clinical helper in residential inpatient and outpatient, field-based, higher education, private practice, and middle/high school settings. She has served as a mental health educator and trainer across the North Texas region to increase mental health awareness and strengthen intervention skills of clinical and non-clinical individuals. She also has engaged in advocacy for marginalized populations.
Research…
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
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…
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
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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 433 Criminal Procedure (online)
SOC 455 Juvenile Delinquency (online)
Research Interests…
