Criminology and Criminal Justice M.S.
The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers a program of study designed to provide students a broad-based understanding of the criminal justice system and society’s response to crime. A major goal of the program is to develop understanding of the applied and theoretical aspects of crime and criminal justice.
The program provides students with a high degree of flexibility and allows students to tailor the program to match their own career interests. Core coursework consists of classes in the theoretical foundations of criminology and criminal justice, methodology, and criminal justice policy analysis.
Students are required to develop a specialization in a substantive area outside of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. In consultation with an adviser, students identify and complete a minimum of three classes, thereby creating a specialty that is unique for each student. Potential specialization fields include social work, social justice, public management, public policy, political science, urban studies, geographic information systems, and crime analysis.
The Criminology & Criminal Justice Graduate program seeks to create a meaningful learning experience and foster professional development for its students based on the following principles:
1. Community of Learners: Graduate students and faculty are involved in a community based on collegial and collaborative relationships evidenced by co-learning and critical dialogue in the classroom and student-faculty partnerships outside of the classroom on writing, research, and community engagement projects.
2. Initiative and Original Thinking: Graduate students are encouraged and given opportunities to participate in the management of their own education experiences and develop new understandings of knowledge and professional practice.
3. Synthesis and Evaluation: Students practice the integration of theory and empirical literature on given criminology and criminal justice topics in order to develop sound theoretical and practical evaluations and to present findings through oral and written reports.
4. Methodological and Analytical Experiences: Graduate students are afforded opportunities to practice the development and implementation of research methodologies and execution of basic statistical analyses of empirical data.
5. Self-Assessment: Graduate students are expected to articulate their career goals and develop evidence of their professional growth related to theory, research, policy, communication, justice, diversity, and community engagement.
Degree requirements
All candidates for a master’s degree must complete 50-54 graduate credits distributed as follows:
- 24 credit hours must be taken in the substantive core.
- A minimum of three classes totaling 9-12 credit hours in a specialization field.
- 12 credits of elective courses.
- 6 credit hours of thesis or project work.
- Successful submission and defense of a portfolio, field project or thesis.
Substantive Core
Courses
| CCJ 515 | Theories of Crime and Justice | 4 |
| CCJ 520 | Analysis of Crime and Justice Data | 4 |
| CCJ 525 | Criminal Justice Theory | 4 |
| CCJ 530 | Criminal Justice Research | 4 |
| CCJ 535 | Criminal Justice Policy | 4 |
| CCJ 545 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 4 |
Specialization Field
In consultation with an adviser, students will be required to develop and complete a specialization field as a part of their degree requirements. A minimum of three classes, totaling 9-12 credits must be completed in the specialization field. Students are encouraged to complete this requirement by taking courses in other academic units such as social work, public administration, computer science, political science, sociology, or geography. Courses may be selected from several academic units so long as they comprise a coherent field of study that will contribute to the academic development of the student.
Elective Courses
Students must satisfactorily complete 12 credit hours of elective courses, all of which must be taken in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Portfolio, Field Project, or Thesis
Candidates must complete one of three options as part of their culminating experience. The options include a portfolio, field project, or traditional thesis, all of which require a final oral examination. Successful completion of one of these three options is a graduation requirement.
- Thesis: A thesis is a scholarly work that demonstrates substantial capacity on the part of the student to engage in independent investigation. Students must submit a letter of interest and thesis prospective to the CCJ Graduate Committee for approval before proceeding with the thesis option. To satisfy thesis requirements, students must pose an empirical research question and apply appropriate methods of scholarship to that question in order to generate new knowledge.
- Field Project: A field project involves the student contributing their accumulated program knowledge and technical skills to a report, presentation, or other product that directly benefits an external agency. The field project must have a strong applied focus and address a specific professional or organizational need. Students must submit a letter of interest and field project prospectus to the CCJ Graduate Committee for approval before proceeding with the field project option.
- Portfolio: All CCJ Masters students will complete a portfolio unless they opt for a thesis or field project. The purposes of the portfolio are to facilitate students' learning and intellectual development, document accomplishments, and assess students' specialized skills and professional knowledge. Portfolio students will create an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) to document, evaluate, integrate, and reflect upon their learning experiences.