Master of Arts in Criminal Justice

The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice is designed to serve the growing number of individuals in the criminal justice system who desire postbaccalaureate education, as well as those in more traditional public and private employment who may wish to acquire further education in criminal justice.

The degree program offers two options for the culminating experience. 1) The thesis option is designed for students who intend to pursue graduate studies beyond the M.A. level and those students who have special research interests in the criminal justice system. 2) The comprehensive examination option is for those with administrative and management goals.

The program can serve a variety of student interests. It has been designed with a limited prerequisite requirement to enable students with baccalaureate degrees in related fields such as psychology, administration, anthropology, sociology or social sciences to enroll along with students with undergraduate degrees in criminal justice.

The Graduate Committee cannot act on applications until they have been reviewed by the Office of Graduate Admissions, and have met university admissions requirements. Check the Criminal Justice Department website for application deadlines. Applications will be evaluated on a competitive basis and enrollment is limited.
In addition to the general requirements of the university, specific requirements for admission to classified graduate status are:

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university,
Completion of an undergraduate major in criminal justice, criminology, sociology, or in an allied field such as psychology, administration, or another social science, or recommendation for admission to the program by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Competence in the following prerequisite areas: criminological theory, law enforcement, institutional and community corrections, research methods and statistics is expected,
A minimum undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 overall and 3.0 (B) in the major,
Submission of any available GRE scores, in the event the applicant feels that such scores would enhance their chances of admission. Submission of such scores is not mandatory,
Submission to the criminal justice program of three letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with the student's academic work and potential to complete the program successfully. Letters must come directly from the writer or be included in a placement file, and will be evaluated by criminal justice faculty members.
A brief statement of purpose describing the applicant's preparation for graduate study & professional goals.
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