The department strongly recommends that application materials be submitted at least five months before the anticipated date of initial enrollment to ensure all materials will be on hand in time for review.

Decisions regarding admission to the graduate program are made by the graduate faculty of the program. Materials are reviewed with attention to past academic performance and substantive areas of study that would prepare students for CJC graduate study.

1. Completed an undergraduate degree, from an accredited university or college, with coursework in the socio-behavioral sciences sufficient to prepare for graduate-level study in the criminal justice and criminology field.
2. Achieved a minimum of 2.75 GPA in all undergraduate work, with a 3.0 GPA for courses within the socio-behavioral sciences area.
3. Completed undergraduate courses in statistics, research methods, and theories of crime.

Students who do not meet admission requirements, but who otherwise show promise for graduate work, may be admitted provisionally to the program. Provisional admission means deficiencies must be corrected before a student is fully admitted as a degree-seeking student in the M.S.-CJC program. Typical deficiencies include a need to take undergraduate coursework to prepare for graduate study in this program, or to demonstrate scholastic ability in graduate-level courses.

• Have knowledge as to the character and recent trends in crime in the United States.
• Understand the major elements that shape and impact the development of justice system policies in response to crime.
• Have knowledge with respect to various models for defining the scope and operation of the criminal justice system.
• Have specific knowledge regarding recent developments in criminological theories that attempt to explain delinquent and criminal behavior.
• Be able to employ elements of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods to design scientific-based projects to examine issues related to criminal justice or criminal behavior.
• Have knowledge and understanding of statistical methods, processes, and tests to understand and interpret scientific research findings from the criminal justice and criminology literature.
• Have specific knowledge and understanding of current literature, research, and issues in a cognitive area related to criminal justice chosen by the student.

The M.S.-CJC degree requires successful completion of 30 credit hours of graduate work. Within these 30 hours, students may elect to complete a thesis or pursue the non-thesis option. 

A core of five courses is required of all students. The required courses include:

 CJC 5511       Sociological Research Methods II                   3
 CJC 5515       Qualitative Research Methods in Criminal Justice   3
 CJC 5516       Intermediate Quantitative Methods (Statistics)     3
 CJC 5518       Advanced Criminological Theory                     3
 CJC 5580       Policy and Decision-Making in Criminal Jusice      3

Thesis Option

Those electing to write a thesis as part of their graduate work can receive up to 6 hours credit (CJC 5599) for preparation of the thesis. In addition to writing the thesis students must successfully complete an oral defense of that thesis before their supervisory committee. The research topic of the thesis will address some issue of specific interest to the student. Through courses, literature review, and analyses conducted in developing the thesis, students are expected to become proficient in their specific thesis topic area.

Non-Thesis Option

Those electing the non-thesis option will take coursework and directed studies related to a cognate area. Their 15 hours of study beyond the required courses will address the area of specialization, or cognate area, selected by the student. There are five possible cognate areas from which to choose, each with specific course and reading requirements:

I. Policing Cognate

Students choosing this area must take at least one of the following courses for graduate credit: CJC 351 (Policing in the Community)*; CJC 5551 (Seminar in Policing) *students completing 300 and 400 level courses for graduate credit require approval in advance from their graduate committee and the instructor of record.

II. Courts and the Criminal Justice Process

Students choose this area must take the following course for graduate credit: CJC 5500 (Sociology of Law).

III. Corrections Cognate

Students choosing this area must take the following courses for graduate credit: CJC 5570 (Contemporary Corrections and Correctional Policy) CJC 5575 (Correctional Rehabilitation and Treatment)

IV. Women and Crime Cognate

Students choosing this area must take at least one of the following courses for graduate credit: CJC 435WI (Gender and Law)* CJC 450 (Women, Crime and Criminal Justice)* *students completing 300 and 400 level courses for graduate credit require approval in advance from their graduate committee and the instructor of record.

V. Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Cognate

Students choosing this area must take the following course: CJC 5520 (Juvenile Justice)Comprehensive Exams

In their final semester students in the non-thesis option must successfully complete written comprehensive exams covering topics from the required courses and their cognate areas. These exams cover three component areas:

Part I: Theory, Systems and Policy

Includes topics from: CJC 5518: Advanced Criminological Theory; CJC 5580: Policy and Decision-Making in Criminal Justice.

Part II: Research Methods and Statistics

Includes topics from: CJC 5511: Research Methods II (quantitative methods); CJC 5515: Qualitative Research Methods in Criminal Justice; CJC 5516: Intermediate Quantitative Methods (statistics).

Part III: Cognate Area of Study

Includes topics from pertinent course(s), as well as required readings in the cognate area selected by the student.