Application Outline

The following outline provides an overview of the structure of the application. After reviewing this outline, you will be ready to download the application.

• All applications must be received by the Board of Higher Education by September 30.
• Institutions are to use the application provided on this website, which is in the form of MS Word templates.
• One electronic copy (on CD) and one hard copy of the institution's application, along with one college catalog, should be sent to:
  
  Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
  Review of Criminal Justice Programs
  McCormack Building
  One Ashburton Place, Room 1401
  Boston, MA 02108
  

An application will comprise the following institutional documents. Complete only one set in the order outlined below, regardless of the number of programs being submitted for review.

• Application Cover Sheet
• Institutional Profile Form: complete and place it at the beginning of its entire application. This profile provides an institutional context for programs submitted for review.
• Evaluation Fee: each institution will pay an evaluation fee to help cover the costs of reviewing its program(s). The fee amount is determined by the total number of degrees awarded to all students in the criminal justice and law enforcement program(s) seeking approval, based on the average number of degrees awarded during the three years immediately prior to submitting the application (see Fee Table). The fee should be submitted at the time of application in the form of a check made out to the BHE PCIPP Quality Assurance Trust Fund. The check should be included with the hard copy of the application.

In addition to the Institutional Documents described above, the application will comprise the following Program Documents. Complete one set per program in the order outlined below:

• Program Overview: the institution will provide a brief narrative overview (three-page maximum) of each criminal justice or law enforcement program for which it seeks approval. The overview should be the first document of each program assessment. Other information may be included to enhance the evaluators' understanding of the essential results of the assessment, but the overview must:
  • place the program in both an institutional and historical context,
  • summarize the findings related to the nine Quality Standards (A-I),
  • highlight particular strengths and concerns, and
  • indicate plans for the future.
• Program Profile: the program profile form provides a factual summary of information related to the particular program being reviewed. It will follow the program overview.
• Demonstration of Compliance with Quality Standards: for each of the nine Quality Standards (A-I), the institution will submit:
  • a concise summary of the program's fulfillment of the criteria for the specific Quality Standard (e.g., Standard A: Mission and Purposes).
  • evidence to demonstrate compliance using the indicators listed for each Quality Standard and any other indicators offered by the institution.

Supplementary materials about the institution and program that are not available electronically, such as handbooks, brochures, etc., can be provided to the review team during its site visit.