Academic Program

Criminal Justice

Master's Degree

The Online Master of Science degree program in Criminal Justice is designed to meet the needs of students who are preparing for careers in criminal justice as well as those planning doctoral study. Master's training focuses on development of knowledge and skills in the areas of management, administration, theory and research. The program is located at the nexus of theory and practice to insure that students are grounded in criminal justice theory, understand the practical implications of theory and have the ability to perform rudimentary analysis of both theory and practice. The Master of Science program is open to pre-service and in-service applicants, on a part-time basis.

For more information, please visit: www.CJonline.UC.edu

Admission Requirements

Admission of students is possible in any of the four quarters. Admission into graduate degree programs is competitive, applicants are expected to have a baccalaureate degree (any major) from an accredited institution. Applicants will be reviewed for admission on the strength of their ability for graduate studies, based upon the following criteria:

  1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
  2. Application to Graduate School and Department
  3. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
  4. Undergraduate degree with a GPA of at least 3.0 (4.0 Scale) or better in last two years of college work or 2.75 GPA in all college work
  5. Applicants with 5 years of work experience in criminal justice may also earn admission if they have an undergraduate 2.5 GPA in the last two years of college, or a 3.25 GPA in 9 hours of graduate credit at another university, or a combined score on the GRE of 1000
  6. GRE scores - all 3 sections of the test taken within last 5 years
  7. International Applicants: Minimum computer based TOEFL score of 187

When you are accepted as a graduate student in UC's MCJ program you can count on an education from a recognized, accredited program.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 48 hours of course work with at least a 3.0 overall grade point average. The curriculum includes a 12 credit hour sequence in theoretical core courses, nine credit hours of administrative and policy analysis courses and six credit hours of research methods. Students must also demonstrate master's level competency in criminal justice subject matter. This requirement can be met by successfully completing a demonstration project. The MS degree is designed to be completed in two academic years.