Criminology and Criminal Justice Fellowships

Graduate fellowships in the Criminology and Criminal Justice program are highly competitive programs that build and enhance your professional skills and defray tuition costs.

Presidential Fellowships

The Presidential Fellowship provides 100% of a student’s graduate tuition.

It requires a non-credit fellowship course and a 25-hour-a-week unpaid fellowship placement. Check out our Fellowship positions.

Criminology and Criminal Justice Fellowship Process

The fellowship selection/appointment process for the Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice program is as follows:

To be considered for a graduate fellowship, apply to the Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice program and indicate your fellowship interest within your online application..
- Your statement must be 500-1,000 words in length.
- Your statement must be submitted through the graduate admissions application portal.
You will be notified of your status in the process.
You will then receive a list of all available fellowships in the program.
We will schedule your interviews with the program director and faculty members in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
You will participate in virtual interviews.
You will be notified of your match.
You will then have two weeks to accept or decline the fellowship.

Please note:

Participation in the fellowship placement process is NOT a guarantee of a
fellowship.
Recruits in the Merrimack College Police Academy are not eligible for a fellowship position, due to the time commitment required for police academy training.
If you are offered and accept a fellowship position, you will not be eligible for any other discounts or scholarships, including a merit-based Dean scholarship or the Double Warrior alumni scholarship.
When you apply for the fellowship, you are also automatically considered for the traditional degree program.
If you are admitted into the traditional program but not offered a fellowship, you will automatically be considered for a Dean scholarship.
If you are originally awarded a scholarship and then are given a fellowship placement, you will no longer receive the merit scholarship. The fellowship will replace any other discounts.

Questions? All interested students should email Megan Haggerty in Graduate Admissions for further information.

Available Fellowship Positions

Please note: The following position descriptions represent a sample of all that will be available for our programs. Please check back for additional opportunities, which will be added in early 2022.

Advising and Administrative Fellowship

Location: Merrimack College, Criminology and Criminal Justice Department

Title of Position: Advising and Administrative

Position Description

The Advising and Administrative Graduate Fellow will work closely with the Criminology and Criminal Justice department manager to identify internship, employment, and external fellowship opportunities for students. The Fellow will coordinate workshops, professional development and volunteer opportunities for undergraduate students. Throughout the year, the Fellow will assist the department’s faculty and staff with undergraduate student advising and other general administrative duties.

The Fellow will play a key role in the efforts to maintain a comprehensive database of present and potential future internship placements, employment opportunities, and external fellowships. As the position is housed within the Criminology and Criminal Justice department, the Advising and Administrative Graduate Fellow will gain valuable experience learning the numerous aspects of college academic advising and undergraduate student support.

Position Responsibilities

Develop and maintain a comprehensive database on internship placements and employment and external fellowship opportunities in criminal justice
Identify and coordinate workshops, volunteer/community service, and professional development opportunities for undergraduate Criminology and Criminal Justice students
Assist the program manager and faculty with student advising and other departmental administrative tasks
Track alumni employment data and post-employment opportunities to the Careers and Internships for Criminology and Criminal Justice Majors page on Blackboard
Assist in community outreach and the identification of potential external fellowship sites for graduate students
Work with faculty in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice to identify and coordinate professional development opportunities for undergraduate students, including the police employment seminar series, civil service prep courses, and employers-in-residence workshops each semester
Email information to students, track attendance at all events, and create follow-up surveys to evaluate effectiveness of experiential learning opportunities
Update and prepare student files for both fall and spring advising time, schedule student-faculty advising appointments, and track and follow up with students who miss advising appointments
Complete other departmental administrative tasks as needed

Additional Requirements/Qualifications

Ability to work in-person 25 hours per week for the Merrimack Criminology and Criminal Justice department
Excellent computer, organizational, and communication skills, and experience using Google Apps
Ability to work independently and follow through on assignments as needed and also collaborate with other faculty and staff in the department
Willingness to learn and adjust to priority and scheduling changes throughout the year

MC Police Academy - Coordinator

MC Police Academy Coordinator

Location: Merrimack College Police Academy

Position Description

The Merrimack College Police Academy Graduate Fellow will work closely with the program co-directors to support effective assessment of, and assist in the administration of, the Merrimack College Police Academy. The Fellow will prepare materials for and take minutes in all meetings with the faculty, Merrimack College administration, and MPTC executive director and staff. Throughout the year, the Fellow will assist the co-directors with program curriculum development, recruitment, scheduling, and other general program duties.

The Fellow will play a key role in the efforts to gather information about career opportunities for those with academy certification and gather survey data from Merrimack College students and local police chiefs to gauge interest and evaluate the success of the new program. As the position is housed within the Criminology and Criminal Justice department’s Police Academy, the Graduate Fellow will gain valuable experience learning the administrative duties behind the Police Academy program and network with policing professionals.

Position Responsibilities

Assist in the assessment of and administration of the Merrimack College Police Academy
Prepare materials for and take minutes in all meetings with the faculty, Merrimack College administration, and MPTC executive director and staff
Assist co-directors with curriculum development, recruitment, scheduling, the hiring of instructors, orientation, and ordering uniforms and standard safety equipment
Gather information about career opportunities for those with academy certification
Gather survey data from both Merrimack College students and local police chiefs to gauge interest and evaluate the success of the new CCJ initiative
Summarize the results of the surveys and prepare the results for written and oral presentation
Assist program co-directors in updating the program handbook, including the program description, admissions process, curriculum standards, program learning objectives and assessments, as well as graduation requirements and career opportunities for graduates
Prepare all materials for meetings, including information packets for all attendees and presentation slides
Attend and participate in all meetings with the co-directors, faculty, MC administration, MC chief of police, and MPTC executive director
Responsible for maintaining detailed records of all of the above correspondences and transactions and meet with the co-directors regularly to provide updates

Additional Requirements/Qualifications

Ability to work in-person 25 hours per week for the Merrimack Criminology and Criminal Justice department
Genuine interest in the field of policing and police academies
Excellent computer, organizational and communication skills, and experience using Google Apps
Willingness to learn and adjust to a fast-paced work environment with the ability to flexibly shift priorities
Ability to work independently and follow through on assignments as needed
Work well in a team atmosphere to promote the Merrimack College Police Academy

MC Police Academy - Student Security

Student Security Graduate Fellowship

Location: Merrimack College Police Department

Position Description

The student security graduate fellows work directly with the Merrimack College Police Department (MCPD). The primary responsibilities are to manage and support the student security program on-campus and to be a liaison between MCPD and the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice pertaining to undergraduate internship opportunities in student security on campus.

The Fellows will play a key role in the efforts to create and manage student security schedules, including 24 hour weekday and weekend coverage and callouts. As the position is housed within the Merrimack College Police Department, the Graduate Fellows will gain valuable experience learning the administrative duties behind the MCPD student security program and network with policing professionals.

Position Responsibilities

To develop and lead orientation for new student security employees and to ensure all student security employees have understood and signed contracts
To create and manage 30-40 student security schedules, including 24-hour weekday and weekend coverage and callouts
To be on-call and available for questions during student security shifts
To monitor and confirm student security internship hours and timesheets
To create and organize monthly in-service meetings, including PowerPoint, Google Forms, attendance sheets, etc.
To review job descriptions and campus access training with student security employees/interns and to collect validation signatures
To track new hire completion of mandatory trainings, including but not limited to, implicit bias and ethics
To understand and respect the chain of command in the police department and to request feedback from supervisors regarding new ideas for equipment and implementation of the program
To work collaboratively with the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, MCPD, Parking, and Transportation Campus Access Specialist

Additional Requirements/Qualifications

To create student security job descriptions and manage applications on Handshake
To create and advertise job openings
To conduct interviews with each applicant
To develop and lead orientation for new hires and to ensure all student security employees have understood and signed contracts
To assist with uniform distribution and on-boarding paperwork
To conduct on site work performance evaluation for 30-40 student workers
To ensure hours are being recorded correctly on the student Sign-In Sheet
To create and manage an attendance record of all student security workers
To ensure outside security (RSIG) company is informed of campus access policies if needed to cover shifts

MA Municipal Police Training Committee (Paid Internship)

Location: Randolph, MA

Please note this position is not a fellowship. It is a paid internship that is 25 hours per week for $60 per hour.

This pay will cover the cost of the Master’s tuition plus extra for living expenses.

Position Description

Help to make the career of policing more accessible to all through collaborative work with the staff of the Commonwealth’s police training organization at their headquarters in Randolph, MA.

In this position, the intern will be placed with the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee, working closely with the staff overseeing the Commonwealth’s police academy and in-service training curriculum to help develop accommodations for the academy tests to make sure they are ADA compliant. The MPTC’s goal with this project is to increase the accessibility of joining policing.

Additional Requirements/Qualifications

Ability to work in-person 25 hours per week
Genuine interest in the field of policing and police academies
Excellent computer, organizational and communication skills, and experience using Google Apps
Willingness to learn and adjust to a fast-paced work environment with the ability to flexibly shift priorities
Ability to work independently and follow through on assignments as needed
Ability to work well in a team atmosphere

Lawrence Police Department LLEAPS ‘n’ Bounds Fellowship

Location: Lawrence, MA

Position Description

Work alongside the Lawrence Police Department as they implement a new, grant-funded program designed to rethink how law enforcement approaches substance use disorder and mental health.

In this position, the fellow will be placed with the LPD to assist with their new, grant-funded LLEAPS ‘n’ Bounds program designed to increase resource referrals when officers go on calls related to substance use and mental health. The fellow will be participating in making referrals, collecting followup data, and will also get a lot of experience doing outreach to the homeless population alongside LPD officers.

Additional Requirements/Qualifications

Ability to work in-person 25 hours per week
Genuine interest in the field of policing and police academies
Excellent computer, organizational and communication skills, and experience using Google Apps
Willingness to learn and adjust to a fast-paced work environment with the ability to flexibly shift priorities
Ability to work independently and follow through on assignments as needed
Ability to work well in a team atmosphere

Dean and Alumni Scholarships

Dean and Alumni Scholarships are available to students who are not receiving a fellowship. No additional application is needed.

Fellowships