Master of Arts (M.A.)
College: College of Liberal Arts & Communication
Department: Criminology, Sociology, and GeographyDESCRIPTION
The M.A. in Criminal Justice is designed to serve two purposes. First, the program will assist in developing additional analytical skills for in-service practitioners with B.A./B.S. in the field or in a closely related field. Second, the program will provide a good foundation for students who wish to pursue doctoral studies.
In order to fulfill the requirements of the program, students are required to select a graduate committee comprised of at least three faculty members from the graduate faculty, two of whom must be from the department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography. The selection of the committee should take place no later than the end of a student’s second semester in the program. Additionally, students are required to submit a graduate plan to the committee for consideration, which shall indicate the courses that a student plans to take to fulfill the degree requirements. At least two members of the committee must approve of the plan.
CURRICULUM
Curriculum and degree requirements can be found in the most current Graduate Bulletin.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- B.A. or B.S. in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or other closely related field.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- Statement of purpose, AND
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or a minimum of 3.0 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work completed.
- A minimum grade of B in the following undergraduate courses, or their recognized equivalents:
- SOC 3383, Social Statistics
- SOC 4293, Methods of Social Research
THESIS OPTION
Students must complete a capstone project of either a thesis or comprehensive exam. Both projects will require students to work with a committee to guide them through the project. Students choosing the thesis option will be allowed to take up to 6 credit hours of CRIM 670V. Thesis students will be required to orally defend their thesis proposal and final thesis.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Priority deadlines for admission and for consideration for graduate assistantship are May 1 (for Summer or Fall admission); November 1 (for Spring admission).
