Master of Arts (M.A.)

College: College of Liberal Arts & Communication

This program is designed to be consistent with the nationally accepted standard in the field set out by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. It is intended to serve two broad constituents. First, the program will assist in developing additional analytical skills for in-service practitioners with BA/BS 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.

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).

Curriculum

Curriculum and degree requirements can be found in the most current Graduate Bulletin.

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Admission Requirements

• BA or BS in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology, or other closely related field.
• Two letters
• Two letters of recommendation
• A statement of purpose, AND
• a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00;
• a minimum grade of B in the following undergraduate courses, or their recognized equivalents:
• SOC 3383, Social Statistics, and SOC 3381, Social Statistics Laboratory
• SOC 4293, Methods of Social Research.

Additional Information

In order to fulfill the requirements of the program, students are required to No later than the second semester after a student enters the program, the student shall select a graduate committee comprised of at least three faculty members from the graduate faculty, at least two of whom must be from the department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography. The selection of the committee should take place no later than By the end of the a student’s second semester in the program. Additionally, students are required to the student shall submit a graduate plan to the committee for consideration, which shall indicate the courses that a the student plans to take to fulfill the degree requirements. At least two members of the committee must approve of the plan. The student must write and defend a professional paper, one the student's graduate committee unanimously agrees is worth of presentation at a professional conference or submission to a refereed journal. The defense shall be open to all members of the graduate faculty of the University and shall be considered both an oral and written comprehensive examination. The student must otherwise comply with all existing graduate school policy at the time of admission.