EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University is now offering the nation’s first graduate certificate in anti-counterfeiting and product protection criminology.
The program is run by the Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Program, or A-CAPPP, in MSU’s School of Criminal Justice.
“Our new certificate is exciting because it is the first and only of its kind and it helps to facilitate our mission to be the preeminent evidence-based hub for anti-counterfeiting resources,” said Jeremy Wilson, director of A-CAPPP and associate professor of criminal justice.
Students who successfully complete the 12-credit course will be well positioned to provide strategic anti-counterfeiting and product-protection strategies for industry and agencies, Wilson said.
The courses provide a holistic and all-encompassing overview of product counterfeit and brand protection risks. The program includes content focusing on overall criminology theory and international crime.
Courses are offered through the School of Criminal Justice, College of Social Science for Lifelong Education Students (including working professionals not enrolled in a graduate program) and graduate students enrolled in online graduate degree programs.
With the popularity of A-CAPPP’s executive education courses and MSU’s expanding role in working with government and industry, creation of a graduate certificate was the next step to provide professionals and lifelong students with further detection, deterrence and solutions skills, Wilson said.
Lifelong students, mostly from industry, are able to provide real world examples of economic and individual consequences that contribute to an estimated $600 billion in counterfeiting, which the FBI describes as the crime of the 21st century.
Counterfeits span the full range of manufactured products, from knockoffs of luxury and consumer goods (cosmetics, clothing, luggage, electronics, entertainment and media) to more potentially dangerous ingestible and manufactured goods (foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, computer parts, even automobiles).
“This program and certificate provide very unique opportunities for collaboration between industry and academia,” said John Spink, associate director of A-CAPPP.
For information on the program or enrollment, contact A-CAPPP at (517) 432-2204 or sayrebar@msu.edu.
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