Department of Criminal Justice - Master (MS) of Criminal Justice

 

 

Graduate Faculty

Coordinator: Dr. Mahendra Singh

Professors: Dr. Daniel Dotter and Dr. Mahendra Singh

Associate Professor: Dr. Joyce Montgomery-Scott and Dr. Tazinski Lee

 

Overview

The Master of Science Program in Criminal Justice is designed for students interested in careers in the law, law enforcement, justice, and in institutions associated with these concepts. The program seeks to provide students with the latest theories and methods that will be of benefit to both practitioners and researchers as they pursue career and educational objectives.

The program strives to promote excellence and social responsibility for students and faculty in a creative, enlightened, and culturally-sensitive academic environment. The program aims to produce graduates who are prepared to uphold and foster the principles and ideals outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America.

The program offers a non-thesis option of 42 semester hours of course work.

 

Requirements for Admission to the Criminal Justice Program

  • Admission to the School of Graduate Studies.
  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and a 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or better grade point average.
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities in which previously enrolled must be on file in the School of Graduate Studies.
  • Submission of scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five years.

 

Requirements for Graduation from the Criminal Justice Program

  • Completion of 42 hours of course work with a minimum GPA of 3.00
  • Grades of “B” or higher in the designated core courses
  • Non-Thesis Option students – Passing grades on three written comprehensive examinations
  • Thesis Option students – Completion of a thesis which is acceptable to the Department of Criminal Justice Graduate Faculty and a successful oral defense

 

Master of Science (MS) in Criminal Justice - Curriculum Plan

Core Courses

All students are required to complete the following core courses with grades of “B” or better. 

Criminal Justice 502

3

Criminal Justice 505

3

Criminal Justice 581

3

Criminal Justice 582

3

 

A minimum of 42 credit hours is required of students pursuing the master’s degree. Students are also required to perform satisfactorily on three Written Comprehensive Examinations: (1) a three-hour exam in Research Methods, (2) a three-hour exam in Theories of Crime and Delinquency, and (3) a four-hour exam in Criminology and Law. The general Plan of Study for students pursuing the 42-hour program involves the courses shown below:

Criminal Justice 502

3

Criminal Justice 505

3

Criminal Justice 581

3

Criminal Justice 582

3

Criminal Justice Electives*

21

Electives

9

TOTAL HOURS

42

*Cannot include CJ 596, CJ 598, or CJ 599.