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Criminology and Criminal Justice Graduate Course Descriptions

The text and requirements below reflect the MS program Fall 2005 and later. Students who began prior to Fall 2005 may continue to use the old requirements; those requirements are available below.

The Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers a program of study designed to provide students a broad-based understanding of the criminal justice system and society's response to crime. A major goal of the program is to develop understanding of the applied and theoretical aspects of crime and criminal justice.

The program provides students with a high degree of flexibility and allows students to tailor the program to match their own career interests. Core coursework consists of classes in the theoretical foundations of criminology and criminal justice, methodology, and criminal justice policy analysis.

Students are required to develop a specialization in a substantive area outside of the Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice. In consultation with an adviser, students identify and complete a minimum of four classes, thereby creating a specialty that is unique for each student. Potential specialization fields include public management, political science, urban studies, and geographic information systems.

Criminology and criminal justice graduate courses also support other PSU degree programs, such as the Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Policy, Master of Urban Studies, Ph.D. in Urban Studies, and Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy.

Graduate Application Requirements

The Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice admits approximately 15 students to the Master of Science program per academic year. Students are admitted to the program in the fall and spring. Applications are due APRIL 1 for fall admission and NOVEMBER 1 for spring admission. Although admission decisions are made twice a year, priority is given to applications for fall admission. The number of admissions during the spring quarter will be limited by the number of students already enrolled in the program.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all application materials are received by the submission deadline. Only complete applications will be reviewed. If an application is not complete by the submission deadline, the applicant may request that the file remain active and be considered for admission during the next review period. Unless such a request is made, the application will receive no further attention.

Recommendations for admission are made by the Division's Graduate Affairs Committee. Applicants can expect a letter from the Division's Chair or Graduate Coordinator informing them of the committee's decision within a month of the application deadline. Final admission is contingent on the receipt and verification of application materials by the university's Office of Admissions.

Admission requirements

In addition to the general University requirements for admission to graduate study, prospective students should arrange for the Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice to receive:

  1. A completed Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice application form.
  2. Transcripts from all prior academic institutions, irrespective of whether a degree was granted.
  3. A 500-word written statement describing the applicant's future goals and a discussion of how graduate study will aid in achieving those goals. In particular, applicants should identify courses that would contribute to their selected field of study. Statements should also describe any prior academic, life, or professional experiences and how they relate to the chosen field of study.
  4. Applicants, including United States citizens, whose native language is not English must present a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

In order to be considered for regular admission to the program, applicants should have a total undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher OR a graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher for a minimum of 9 credit hours. Applicants who do not meet these requirements may be considered for conditional admission under exceptional circumstances.

Although not required, applicants are encouraged to submit GRE scores for consideration with their application.


Graduate Program Admission Application Forms

The Graduate Program Handbook contains complete program information and procedures for admitted students.

PSU Application for Graduate Students 2010

Criminology and Criminal Justice Graduate Admission Application (PDF | MS Word)

Application for the Graduate Assistantship (PDF)

Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice Degree Requirements

The requirements below are effective Fall 2005. If you are a student using the requirements from a previous catalog, you can find the applicable requirements below.

All candidates for a master's degree must complete 50-54 graduate credits distributed as follows:

  1. 20 credit hours must be taken in the substantive core.
  2. A minimum of four classes totaling 12-16 credit hours in a specialization field.
  3. 6 credit hours of thesis or research project work.
  4. 12 credits of elective courses.



Substantive Core
Credits

CCJ 515 Theories of Crime
4

CCJ 520 Analysis of Crime and Justice Data
4

CCJ 525 Criminal Justice Theory
4

CCJ 530 Criminal Justice Research
4

CCJ 535 Criminal Justice Policy
4


Specialization Field
In consultation with an adviser, students will be required to develop and complete a specialization field as a part of their degree requirements. A minimum of 4 classes, totaling 12-16 credits must be completed in the specialization field. Students are encouraged to complete this requirement by taking courses in other academic units such as public administration, computer science, political science, or sociology. Courses may be selected from several academic units so long as they comprise a coherent field of study that will contribute to the academic development of the student.

Thesis and Graduate Project
Candidates must complete either a thesis or a substantial research project. Both options require a final oral examination. A thesis is a scholarly work that demonstrates substantial capacity on the part of the student to engage in independent investigation. In order to satisfy thesis requirements, students must pose an original research question and apply appropriate methods of scholarship and methodology to that question in order to generate new knowledge. A graduate project, on the other hand, does not necessarily involve the creation of new knowledge. Rather, graduate project requirements may be satisfied by demonstrating mastery of a particular field of literature and how that literature applies to a policy issue within criminology and criminal justice.

Elective Courses
Students must satisfactorily complete 12 credit hours of elective courses, half of which must be taken in the Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice.