Students interested in studying abroad should visit the Education Abroad Office for a list of all study abroad programs. The University of Maryland (UMD) offers short-term (summer, winter and spring break), semester long, and year long study abroad programs all over the world. The Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJS) Department does not have a preferential country for study abroad; students are encouraged to study abroad wherever they are interested.
Current CCJS Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs
UMD-Winter: Finland: Restorative Justice in Context (CCJS) (3 credits)
When is it most effective to “punish”? Is it ever ethical just to “restore”? These are the big questions that we will address in this course. This course offers a critical, global exploration of how different societies across the globe address harm and crime. We will investigate diverse systems of justice utilized around the world, from adversarial and inquisitorial legal frameworks to Indigenous and community-based systems. A focus of the course is the theory and practice of restorative justice, as well as a comparison between the US justice system and how restorative justice is embedded into one other country’s justice system. Students will engage in an analysis of restorative practices and their application across various contexts, including schools, communities, and criminal justice settings. There is a practical examination of restorative models, specifically analyzing their impact on those harmed (victims and survivors) and their effectiveness in fostering accountability and change for those who caused harm.
Follow along on the Restorative Justice in Finland: Winter 2027 blog!
UMD-Summer: Italy: Human Trafficking in Context (CCJS/MLAW) (3 credits)
Human trafficking, while not widely understood, ranks among the most severe and lucrative of criminal enterprises around the world. This course will focus on promoting an understanding of human trafficking in an international context, specifically in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is recognized as a source, transit, and destination county for human trafficking.
Study Abroad Programs with a CCJS Focus
The University of Surrey (United Kingdom)
Guildford, United Kingdom
The University of Surrey is an international university with a worldwide reputation for excellence in teaching and research. If you are studying at one of our partner institutions, coming to study at Surrey for a full academic year or a semester is a great opportunity. The University is situated in beautiful green surroundings, yet it is just 35 minutes by train from London. Undergraduate students will be taking classes in the Department of Sociology, which has excellent options for sociology and criminology & criminal justice majors. The University of Surrey is named one of the top five UK Sociology Departments in the Times Good University Guide, the Guardian University Guide and the Complete University Guide.
Maryland-in-Copenhagen (Denmark)
This program only offers one CCJS course, but there is a heavy social science course offering. The Danish Institute for Study Abroad is a government-recognized, high-quality study abroad program established in 1959 with over 1500 students coming each year. Most courses will be taken at DIS; however, some courses take place at the University of Copenhagen or the Copenhagen Business School. Courses are taught in English by Danish faculty who bring a European point of view and personal experience from research, government, management and the professions to the classroom. Their teaching is strongly enhanced by an extensive program of course-related field studies and study tours in the Balkans, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, and the UK.
