Program Admission

Admission to the program is competitive and is not automatic upon meeting minimum departmental admission requirements. Students are selected from the pool of qualified applicants for the program, and the number of students admitted to the program yearly depends on availability of financial aid and adequate faculty supervision. Applicants admitted to the program typically have at least a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, written analytical) are taken into account in the admissions process. All application material should be received by June 1 for a candidate to be considered for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester. Admission for the summer session is not considered. Any student planning to pursue a Graduate Assistantship should apply by March 15 to be considered for admission in the Fall semester and October 1 for the Spring semester.

To be considered for admission, the applicant must:

1. Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Have earned a grade point average of at least 3.00 on a scale of 4.00 and achieved an acceptable score on the GRE. The admissions committee reserves the right to make exceptions for candidates presenting special circumstances.
3. Submit a letter of purpose for graduate study to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Criminology and Criminal Justice that is no more than one typed single-spaced page in length.
4. Submit two letters of recommendation.

Program Requirements

1. A total of 30 semester hours of graduate work plus the completion and defense of a thesis, or 33 semester hours of graduate work without a thesis with courses taken in both Tool and Foundation Components. NOTE: Students choosing the thesis option should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write.

Other Requirements

1. Students not previously having successfully completed a statistics course must register for a statistics course from a list approved by the department prior to registering for CJUS 7129 - Advanced Stat In Cj .
2. A minimum of 27 hours of coursework at the 7000 level, including thesis hours.
3. Up to nine hours of coursework may be taken outside the department with prior approval of the graduate coordinator.
4. Students will be allowed no more than six hours of credit toward the degree in non-classroom courses such as internships, individual directed studies, and reading courses.
5. Satisfactory performance on a comprehensive examination covering the major areas of criminology and criminal justice.

Retention Requirements

1. All students are required to maintain a GPA of at least 3.00. Should the student’s GPA fall below that mark, a period of one semester will be allowed to correct the deficiency. At the discretion of the chair, the coordinator of graduate studies, and the Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, this period may be extended one additional semester.
2. Any student receiving a grade of D or F in a required course in the core curriculum will be terminated from the program.