Academic Program
Criminal Justice
Doctoral Degree
Doctoral students are prepared to pursue research positions in either the criminal justice industry or in academia. The curriculum is composed of 5 elements: a criminal justice theory core, a criminological theory core, a research methods core, a substantive specialty in either corrections, policing, or crime prevention and courses in professional development (research and teaching practice). The Doctor of Philosophy program is designed to immerse students in criminal justice theory and methods; therefore, admission to the doctoral program is limited to full-time students.
Admission Requirements
- Full-time students are admitted in the Autumn Quarter only.
- Applicants are expected to have a baccalaureate degree (any major) from an accredited institution.
- Applicants with bachelor's degrees are required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Applicants with master's degrees are required to have a minimum graduate grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- Applicants are also expected to present acceptable scores on the GRE, three (3) letters of reference and a personal statement.
- Admission is competitive.
- International applicants should have a minimum computer based TOEFL score of 187.
The Graduate Admissions Committee will begin reviewing files on February 1. The Division will continue to accept applications until the graduate classes are full.
Financial Aid
The School of Criminal Justice offers graduate assistantships, tuition remission scholarships, and support through externally funded research. In addition, the university offers minority fellowships and scholarships. Students who desire financial aid should complete their applications as early as possible, and no later than February 1. A very high percentage of students have received some form of funding to support their graduate studies.
Degree Requirements
The criminal justice faculty have devoted considerable time to designing a curriculum that will firmly ground students in the core of the discipline of criminal justice/criminology. Students must complete 135 graduate credit quarter hours beyond the baccalaureate degree with at least a 3.0 GPA. The curriculum is flexible and required coursework is dependent on the substantive areas in which students wish to specialize. Students must specialize in either Criminology or the Criminal Justice System and must complete 15 hours of coursework in their selected area or 9 hours in the other area. Students must also select a substantive specialty and complete 12 hours of coursework in either corrections, policing, or crime prevention. In addition, students are required to pass 27 credit hours in criminal justice statistics and methods, and 6 credit hours in professional development. Doctoral students must pass 2 comprehensive examinations and complete a dissertation. The dissertation presents original criminal justice research and is defended publicly. A minimum residency of one year is required.