The Advanced Certificate in Transnational Organized Crime Studies (ACTOCS) offers advanced instruction on the nature, dynamics, causes, and control of those crime phenomena that pose a challenge to more than one country and call for international cooperation. It examines the nature and etiology of established as well as emerging transnational organized criminal groups and criminal activities. The focus is on illegal cross-border trade such as the trafficking of drugs, counterfeit medicine, and humans; transnational predatory crimes such as serial burglary; international environmental crimes; money laundering, corruption, and cybercrime; networks of offenders involved in these crimes and their terrestrial and virtual mobility; and factors that facilitate and shape transnational crime, including technology, international travel, trade, and migration.
This advanced certificate program is appropriate for students who wish to engage in research, join law enforcement agencies at national or international levels, or see employment at public or private organizations.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of how criminal structures and illegal activities transcend international boarders
- Demonstrate knowledge if international legal and institutional frameworks for responding to transnational organized crime
- Think critically about potential solutions for transnational crime and develop theoretically grounded and evidence-based policy solutions that integrate interdisciplinary knowledge
- Be able to classify and analyze transnational organized crime phenomena
- Be able to critically assess the validity and reliability of data on transnational crime
- Demonstrate knowledge of private sector, public private and civil society responses to transnational crime and identify best practices in this field
- Gain knowledge about less common form, as well as emerging new forms of transnational crime
This is a stand-alone certificate at the graduate level. A student may pursue the advanced certificate independent of a master's degree or while pursuing a John Jay master's degree. Students who successfully complete the program are awarded a New York State Educational Department certificate.
Admission to the online Advanced Certificate in Transnational Organized Crime Studies program is competitive, and evaluation is based on the student’s academic and professional records of achievement.
To be considered for admission, students must meet the following requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S. or an international equivalent
- An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (or meet contingency requirements as determined by the program on a case-by-case basis)
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or IELTS, is required for international applicants who have not studied in English-speaking countries. John Jay College’s TOEFL code number is 2115-99. The minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, and 79-80 for the Internet-based test. The minimum score for IELTS is 7.
- Submission of a complete application
- 2 Letters if Recommendation
- Personal Statement
Apply Online
For additional information about this advanced certificate program, please contact John Jay Online at onlineprograms@jjay.cuny.edu or (212) 393-6342