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Department of Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice, M.S.C.J.
Major Program
The Department of Criminal Justice offers a Master of Science in Criminal Justice (M.S.C.J.) degree, and the department also participates in the Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies program. The curriculum provides for the development of skills in criminal justice program planning, implementation, and evaluation to ensure a meaningful contribution to this important area of community and human services.
The M.S.C.J. degree provides a 36-semester hour program with thesis and non-thesis options. Both the thesis and the non-thesis options require the completion of Criminal Justice 5310, Criminal Justice 5311, Criminal Justice 5315, Criminal Justice 5320, Criminal Justice 5321, Criminal Justice 5325, Criminal Justice 5330, Criminal Justice 5340, and Criminal Justice 5350 for a total of 27 hours. In addition to this common core, thesis option candidates are required to complete three hours of approved electives and a thesis worth six semester credit hours. The non-thesis option requires completion of Criminal Justice 5370 and six hours of approved electives.
Candidates for the M.S.C.J. degree who choose the non-thesis option will be required to complete a professional quality paper as a component of the degree program. A committee composed of three graduate faculty members must approve this paper.
Academic Minors. Students may elect to add an academic minor to the M.S.C.J. degree. As the requirements for minors vary among departments offering graduate degrees, specific requirements for completing the minor should be discussed with the appropriate graduate advisor. A minor in Criminal Justice is also possible. The minor consists of CJ 5310 and at least 6 hours of other Criminal Justice courses.
Comprehensive Examination. All students must pass a written comprehensive examination. The purpose of this examination is to provide a structured situation in which the candidate can demonstrate proficiency in various areas of study. A student must see the graduate advisor for a detailed description of the comprehensive examination procedures.
Admission to the M.S.C.J. program is selective and designed to identify those applicants who have the ability, interest, and maturity to manage the rigors of the program and career field. Applicants must possess either a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice or a degree in a related field from a regionally accredited university. Applicants may be required to complete additional preparatory coursework as a condition of admission to the program.
There are two regular admission procedures available to a student, i.e., regular admission through M.S.C.J. graduate director approval and regular admission through M.S.C.J. graduate faculty review.
- Regular admission through M.S.C.J. graduate director approval: A student with a GPA of 2.75 or above (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate work before the baccalaureate will be eligible for regular admission by approval of the M.S.C.J. graduate program director if space is available. This regular admission procedure will not require M.S.C.J. graduate faculty review prior to admission.
- Regular admission through M.S.C.J. graduate faculty review: A student with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate work before the baccalaureate will be eligible for admission considerations through M.S.C.J. graduate faculty review.
Any student accepted into the M.S.C.J. program may be required to take undergraduate coursework in Criminal Justice as a prerequisite to graduate coursework.
If a student is denied admission to the M.S.C.J. program and would like to appeal the decision, the student should contact the graduate advisor of the Department of Criminal Justice to determine the correct procedure.
Courses Offered
Criminal Justice (CJ)
5101 Graduate Assistant Supervision. (1-0) Prepares graduate student teaching and instructional assistants to perform effectively in diverse instructional settings and in their assigned instructional support roles. The course provides for regular and planned opportunities for continuing evaluation of instructional and assistive responsibilities. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable with different emphasis. Graded on a credit (CR), no-credit (F) basis.
5300 Foundation Studies in Criminal Justice. (3-0) This course is designed for students who do not have a sufficient background in the foundations of criminal justice studies. Coursework will vary depending on the student’s prior academic history. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable with different emphasis.
5310 Administration of Justice. (3-0) Introduction to the study of crime; explanations of criminal behavior; typologies of criminal behavior; the criminal justice system; and social reaction to crime and the criminal justice system.
5311 Administrative Law in Criminal Justice. (3-0) Legal principles and doctrines applicable to state and federal criminal justice agencies delegated quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial authority by legislatures are studied and evaluated in this course.
5315 Advanced Research Methods in Criminal Justice. (3-0) The study of scientific research methods as used in the criminal justice system to include a review and critique of research on crime causation, law enforcement, courts, and corrections.
5320 History and Philosophy of Justice. (3-0) An exploration of historical approaches to social control of nonconforming behavior. The principal contributions of architects and theorists of systems of social justice are examined with emphasis on major Western European schools of thought. Special emphasis given to the development of the scientific method and its role in the contemporary system of justice.
5321 Current Legal Issues in Criminal Justice. (3-0) Case law and legislation, both state and federal, which have contemporary impact on practices and policies of criminal justice agencies will be examined in this course. Topics may vary to include such matters as civil rights liability, substance abuse and the law, juvenile crime, organized crime, tactics of enforcement, unionization, and other legal issues.
5325 Statistics for Criminal Justice. (3-0) The study of basic and advanced descriptive and inferential statistics, with an emphasis on applications in the criminal justice system will be taught. Focus will be given to various multivariate statistical procedures.
5330 Management Principles in Criminal Justice. (3-0) The study of behavior in complex bureaucratic or administrative organizations with an emphasis on organizational behavior, group processes, and the managerial function. Concepts and practices of managing criminal justice agencies within the
5335 Advanced Crime Theory. (3-0) This course will develop and apply analytical skills surrounding a wide range of theoretical concepts, assumptions, propositions, and variables aimed at explaining crime-related outcomes. In the process, students will learn how social scientists empirically (i.e., quantitatively and qualitatively) access theory and how theory influences public policy.
5340 Personnel Practices in Criminal Justice. (3-0) The study of personnel decision-making within the criminal justice agency. Topics emphasized will include recruitment and selection, promotion, training, performance evaluation, and human resource allocation.
5350 Current Issues in Criminal Justice. (3-0) An in-depth presentation and discussion of vital contemporary issues in criminal justice, including research, process, procedure, and substance. General issues addressed remain constant and specific emphasis will vary depending on changes in contemporary issues.
5360 Independent Studies in Criminal Justice. (3-0) Student will work directly with a faculty member and develop in-depth knowledge in a specific topic area of Criminal Justice. Repeatable for credit.
5370 Professional Paper. (3-0) Students in the non-thesis option will complete their professional paper while enrolled in this course.
5380 Special Topics. (3-0) This course is one of several rotating graduate “topic” courses. Repeatable for credit.
5380A Ethics and the Criminal Justice System. (3-0) This special topics course will explore ethical issues that are faced by criminal justice professionals, basic ethical systems, and applications to dilemmas of criminal justice professionals.
5380B Police in Society. (3-0) This special topics course will explore issues of modern policing, including current issues such as community policing and problem-solving policing.
5380C Drugs in Society. (3-0) This special topics course will explore issues related to the “War on Drugs.” Topics covered include theories of addiction, legal and philosophical issues of government response to drug use, and treatment strategies.
5380D Special Operation Units. (3-0) A course designed to acquaint students with the basic principles of Special Operation Units within law enforcement, including the necessity for such units, the changing nature of communities and policing in America, the principles of crisis management, the development of SOUs, selection/training/operationalizing of personnel and other issues.
5380F Police Problem-Solving Practicum. (3-0) This course applies contemporary police problem-solving tools and techniques (including SARA, COMPSTAT, crime mapping, intelligence led policing and computer enhanced problem solving) to real world problems with practicum problems derived from situations commonly facing police practitioners such as common law enforcement "problems" such as noise abatement, property offenses and traffic violations.
5380G Investigations. (3-0) This special topics course will explore issues related to investigations. Topics covered include the history and state of investigations, investigative theory, interviewing, interrogation, polygraph, geographic profiling, serial crimes, and investigative failures.
5399A Thesis. This course represents a student’s initial thesis enrollment. Credit is not awarded until student has completed the thesis in Criminal Justice 5399B. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no credit (F) basis.
5399B Thesis. This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no credit (F) basis.
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