Skip to Content
The Graduate College
Texas State The Graduate College Graduate Programs Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Graduate Advisor
(Executive Concentration)
Dr. Christine Sellers
cjexec@txstate.edu
512.245.3341
Hines, Room 120

Advisor Support
(Executive Concentration)
Dr. Howard Williams
cjexec@txstate.edu
512.245.4906
Hines, Room 118

Graduate Advisor
Dr. Lucia Summers
lss62@txstate.edu
512.245.2389
Hines, Room 124

Advisor Support
Courtney Graham
c_g508@txstate.edu
512.245.2174
Hines, Room 121

The faculty in criminal justice are recognized nationally and internationally for their commitment to outstanding teaching, cutting-edge research and unparalleled service to the field. Their broad practical experiences and diverse academic backgrounds contribute to a curriculum that provides students the skills needed for criminal justice program planning, implementation and evaluation.

Degree Concentration Hours Thesis Option Minor Option
M.S.C.J. No concentration 36 Non-Thesis No minor
M.S.C.J. Executive 30 Non-Thesis No minor
M.S.C.J. Research 30 Thesis No minor

Executive Concentration

Deadlines U.S. Citizen International
Fall - Priority February 1 February 1
Fall - Standard June 15 June 1*
Spring No Admission No Admission
Summer I No Admission No Admission
Summer II No Admission No Admission

*The Fall 2020 standard deadline has been extended to July 1, 2020, for international applicants.

Research Concentration and Non-concentration Programs

Deadlines U.S. Citizen International
Fall - Priority February 1 February 1
Fall - Standard June 15 June 1*
Spring - Priority August 15 August 15
Spring - Standard October 15 October 1
Summer I No Admission No Admission
Summer II No Admission No Admission

*The Fall 2020 standard deadline has been extended to July 1, 2020, for international applicants.

 Application Deadline
This program has a flexible deadline, which means applications received after the posted deadline may be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no guarantees for admission consideration.

Funding Information
Applications must be complete by the priority deadlines to be considered for certain types of funding.

Decision Timeline
This program reviews applications on a rolling basis.

Application Requirements

The items required for admission consideration are listed below. Additional information for applicants with international credentials can be found on our international web pages.

Application

  Review important information about the online application.

Application Fee(s)

  • $55 nonrefundable application fee
    OR
  • $90 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials

  Review important information about application fees.

Transcripts & GPA

  • baccalaureate degree in criminal justice or related field from a regionally accredited university
  • a copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted
  • minimum 3.0 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)

Effective Spring 2021

Transcripts & GPA for Research Concentration applicants

  • baccalaureate degree in criminal justice or related field from a regionally accredited university
  • a copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted
  • minimum 3.25 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)

  Review important information about documents.

GRE Scores for Executive Concentration applicants

  • GRE not required

GRE Scores for Research and Non-concentration applicants*

  • official GRE (general test only) required with competitive scores in the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections

*Due to COVID-19 and testing center closures, GRE not required for Fall 2020 applicants. If admitted into the program, applicants will be conditionally admitted. Conditions include:

  • a grade of B or higher for CJ 5315 Advanced Research Methods
  • a grade of B or higher for CJ 5325 Statistics

  Review important information about official test scores.

Documents for Non-concentration applicants

  • statement of purpose indicating career aspirations and reasons for pursuing the M.S.C.J. program

Documents for Executive Concentration applicants

  • resume/CV
  • statement of purpose indicating career aspirations and reasons for pursuing the M.S.C.J. program

Documents for Research Concentration applicants

  • statement of purpose indicating research interests and career aspirations

Effective Spring 2021

Documents for Non-concentration applicants

  • statement of purpose indicating career aspirations and reasons for pursuing the M.S.C.J. program
  • two letters of recommendation from persons best able to assess your ability to succeed in graduate school

Documents for Research Concentration applicants

  • statement of purpose indicating research interests and career aspirations
  • two letters of recommendation from persons best able to assess your ability to succeed in graduate school

  Review important information about documents.

TOEFL or IELTS Scores

Applicants are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores that meet the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.

  • official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
  • official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and
    • minimum individual module scores of 6.0

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

  Review important information about official test scores.