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Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology Course Requirements

The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology thesis track and non-thesis tracks require a total of 30 semester hours. Mandatory among these hours are a minimum of 23 hours of graded course work and a minimum of 7 hours of CRMJ 702 credits for the thesis track and 26 hours of graded course work and a minimum of 4 hours of CRMJ 702 credits for the non-thesis track .

Thesis Track Core Courses (20 credits)

  • CRMJ 513 – Multicultural Issues in Criminal Justice or CRMJ 580 – Gender and Justice
  • CRMJ 514 – Professional Development
  • CRMJ 520 Or Equivalent – Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology
  • CRMJ 522 Or Equivalent – Foundations of Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology
  • CRMJ 530 – Criminal Justice: Processes and Institutions
  • CRMJ 540 – Seminar in Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation
  • CRMJ 555 – Seminar in Criminological Theory

Electives (3 credits)

  • Select one graduate-level course from within the DCJC or from other departments. Non-criminal justice courses must be relevant to a student’s educational and professional goals and must be approved by the student’s committee and the DCJC Graduate Advisor. A list of pre-approved courses is provided below:
    • CRMJ 505 – Comparative Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 510 – Leadership in Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 511 – Criminal Justice Management
    • CRMJ 512 – Juvenile Justice
    • CRMJ 521 – Advanced Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology
    • CRMJ 524 – Advanced Topics in Quantitative Methods
    • CRMJ 531 – Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime
    • CRMJ 541 – Seminar in Corrections
    • CRMJ 542 – Community Corrections
    • CRMJ 560 – Prosecution and Adjudication
    • CRMJ 570 – The Police and Society
    • CRMJ 572 – Seminar in Comparative Policing
    • CRMJ 591 – Seminar in the Administration of Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 593 – Special Topics in Criminological Theory
    • CRMJ 594 – Special Topics in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 595 – Advanced Topics in Criminal Justice Institutions and Processes
    • CRMJ 596 – Special Topics: Criminal Justice and Public Health
  • Per Graduate School Policies/Procedures, M.A. students cannot use “courses taken for audit or courses graded Pass/Fail on the Program of Study” this includes CRMJ 600: Special Projects or Independent Study.

Complete Master’s Examination (7 credits minimum)

  • Crm J 700: Master’s Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination

Non-Thesis Track Core Courses (20 credits)

  • CRMJ 513 – Multicultural Issues in Criminal Justice or CRMJ 580 – Gender and Justice
  • CRMJ 514 – Professional Development
  • CRMJ 520 Or Equivalent – Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology
  • CRMJ 522 Or Equivalent – Foundations of Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology
  • CRMJ 530 – Criminal Justice: Processes and Institutions
  • CRMJ 540 – Seminar in Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation
  • CRMJ 555 – Seminar in Criminological Theory

Electives (6 credits)

  • Select two graduate-level courses from within the DCJC or from other departments. Non-criminal justice courses must be relevant to a student’s educational and professional goals and must be approved by the student’s committee and the DCJC Graduate Advisor. A list of pre-approved courses is provided below:
    • CRMJ 505 – Comparative Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 510 – Leadership in Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 511 – Criminal Justice Management
    • CRMJ 512 – Juvenile Justice
    • CRMJ 521 – Advanced Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology
    • CRMJ 524 – Advanced Topics in Quantitative Methods
    • CRMJ 531 – Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime
    • CRMJ 541 – Seminar in Corrections
    • CRMJ 542 – Community Corrections
    • CRMJ 560 – Prosecution and Adjudication
    • CRMJ 570 – The Police and Society
    • CRMJ 572 – Seminar in Comparative Policing
    • CRMJ 591 – Seminar in the Administration of Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 593 – Special Topics in Criminological Theory
    • CRMJ 594 – Special Topics in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice
    • CRMJ 595 – Advanced Topics in Criminal Justice Institutions and Processes
    • CRMJ 596 – Special Topics: Criminal Justice and Public Health

Complete Master’s Examination (4 credits minimum)

  • Crm J 702: Master’s Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination

Administration and Oversight

The master’s program will be advised and guided by a three-faculty graduate studies committee drawn from Criminal Justice and Criminology. The committee will guide the administration of the degree; evaluate the suitability of proposed new course offerings and the ongoing relevance of existing courses; coordinate course offerings to be able to make required courses available on time and without overlap; and oversee the related material for the M.A. Thesis and Non-thesis Final process.