Master of Science in Criminology & Criminal Justice

Degree Requirements

The program consists of a total of 33 credit hours: 9 required course credits; 6 restricted electives; 12 unrestricted electives; and 6 exit requirements (thesis or non-thesis options). Some courses are delivered on-site, others are completely on-line, and still others are a hybrid combination.

Core Requirements (9 credits):
Required:
CCJ 6902 CCJ 6056 CCJ 6704	Criminal Justice Research and Policy Foundations Understanding Criminal Behavior Research Methods and Data Analysis	3 credits 3 credits 3 credits

Restricted Electives (6 credits):
Students must choose two of the following five courses (the remaining three can be used as unrestricted electives):
CJC 6021 CJJ 6046 CJE 6426 CCJ 6475 CCJ 6669	Corrections Research, Policy, and Practice Juvenile Justice Research, Policy, and Practice Police Research, Policy, and Practice Organizational Culture in Criminal Justice Agencie Class, Race, and Gender in Criminal Justice	3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits

Unrestricted Electives (12 credits):
Students can take any four of the following unrestricted electives, (provided they were not used to meet restricted elective requirements):
CJC 6021 CJJ 6046 CCJ 6142 CJE 6426 CCJ 6456 CCJ 6458 CCJ 6475 CCJ 6485 CCJ 6669 CCJ 6675 CCJ 6905 CCJ 6934	Corrections Research, Policy, and Practice Juvenile Justice Research, Policy, and Practice Restorative Justice Research, Policy, and Practice Police Research, Policy, and Practice Leadership in Criminal Justice Agencies Management Implications of Justice Policy Organizational Culture in Criminal Justice Agencies Applying Criminal Justice Theory, Policy, and Research Class, Race, and Gender in Criminal Justice Victims and the Justice Process Directed Independent Study  Special Topics	3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 1-3 credits 3 credits

With approval of the program coordinator, students may take one to three graduate courses (3-9 credits) from outside the MSCCJ program that are relevant to their study concentration and/or career plans. To apply toward graduation, any outside courses must be approved by the program coordinator before registration.

Exit Requirements (6 credits): Two Options

Non-Thesis Option

This option is for students who do not wish to continue with their graduate education or research-related employment. In addition to fulfilling core, restricted elective, and elective requirements (27 credits), students in the non-thesis option are required to take CCJ 6485 Applying Criminal Justice Theory, Policy, and Research (3 credits) and one additional unrestricted elective (3 credits). CCJ 6485 guides students through a project that comprehensively applies the theoretical concepts learned throughout the program. This course will be taken in either the last or next to last semester before graduation, provided that all required core courses and restricted electives have been completed.

Thesis Option

This option is for students who anticipate continuing on to doctoral-level studies and/or who seek research positions within the criminal justice system. In addition to fulfilling core, restricted elective, and elective requirements (27 credits), students in this option register for CCJ 6971 Master’s Thesis (6 credits) and complete a thesis according to policies of the university’s Graduate School and School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Thesis credits will be taken in either the last or next to last semester before graduation, provided that all other required core courses and restricted electives courses have been completed. NOTE: Students opting to complete a thesis may take CCJ 6485 Applying Criminal Justice, Theory, Policy, and Research as one of their unrestricted electives.

Criminal Justice Specialization

Interested degree-seeking students who are majoring in other disciplines can complete a 15-credit specialization in Criminology and Criminal Justice, which includes:

• Core requirements (9 credits)
• Elective (6 credits): any two graduate-level CCJ electives.

Academic Standing

Continuation in the program requires satisfactory progress toward degree completion. Evidence of such progress includes maintenance of an overall 3.0 cumulative GPA. Additionally, for each course, no grade lower than “C ”is acceptable to fulfill program requirements. (Thus, a “C-”would not be acceptable). Students who do not maintain the required 3.0 cumulative GPA are placed on academic probation during the semester immediately following the one in which their cumulative GPA dropped below 3.0. Failure to regain a 3.0 cumulative GPA within two successive semesters thereafter results in dismissal from the program. Students may also be dismissed at any time that they are not making satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree, or for serious violations of academic integrity.