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Doctorate of Philosophy in Criminology and Criminal Justice
The doctoral program in Criminology and Criminal Justice is organized around four components:
A core of courses in theory, research methods, teaching and statistical analysis;
Elective courses in criminology, criminal justice, and related fields;
Comprehensive examination; and
Dissertation.
The Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice requires a minimum of 92 graduate credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. This includes up to 30 hours earned in a master's degree. Satisfactory completion of a teaching practicum also is required. For more complete information about the doctoral program please read the Doctorate in Philosophy Criminology and Criminal Justice Student Handbook (in PDF format).
Admission Requirements
Admission to the program will be governed generally by the requirements specified by the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Graduate College. In addition to the basic requirements established by the Graduate College, the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice will require the following:
An earned Master of Arts or Master of Science degree in criminology and criminal justice (or a related program) from an accredited institution will be required for unconditional admission into the program.
Applicants with a Master's Degree in an allied field (sociology, political science, public administration, etc.) who lack substantial course work in criminology and criminal justice may be granted provisional admission. They will be granted unconditional admission upon successful completion of 18 hours of criminology and criminal justice courses from the core curriculum.
Outstanding applicants who have completed a baccalaureate and wish to be considered for the doctoral program may be provisionally admitted, but must first complete the requirements for the master's prior to unconditional admission into the Ph.D. program.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for students to be considered for admission into the Ph.D. Program in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Scores from either the former GRE examination or the revised GRE examination will be accepted. For the former GRE, a combined score of at least 1,000 on the verbal and quantitative portions is required. For the revised GRE, a combined score of at least 300 on the verbal and quantitative portions is required. Students with a combined GRE score of less than 1,000 on the former GRE and a combined score of less than 300 on the revised GRE may be considered if they demonstrate exceptional academic potential based on other admissions criteria. For additional information on the GRE, please visit their website at http://www.gre.org.
Applicants must present at least three letters of reference from academics.
Applicants must present a statement of intent, not exceeding five typewritten, double-spaced pages, describing the applicant's prior education, relevant professional experience, career goals, and the specific relationship of the Ph.D. degree to the achievement of these goals. The applicant should also note in this letter whether they are seeking an assistantship or not.
International students seeking admission to the program must meet UNO Graduate Faculty requirements governing the admission of international students. In addition to these requirements, all ESL students are required to submit scores from the "ILETS" or the "Internet TOEFL" (the paper TOEFL will not be accepted). Minimum required scores are as follows:
"ILETS" -- minimum score of 7.5 is required and we prefer an 8.0, (OR)
"Internet TOEFL" -- minimum score of 21 in each of the four areas and a minimum of a score of 95 overall.
All ESL students will be required to take a proficiency assessment examination upon admission. That assessment will be used to determine if further assistance is required.
Supervisory Committee
Doctoral students are required to form a Supervisory Committee by early in the spring semester of their first year. The committee will consist of the faculty member assigned as the Academic Advisor, two other Criminology and Criminal Justice graduate faculty members, and one external graduate faculty member. The student can choose who will be placed on the committee in addition to the Academic Advisor. It is also the responsibility of the student to ask one of the three Criminology and Criminal Justice faculty members to serve as chair of the Supervisory Committee.
Curriculum
All students will be required to complete all eight courses listed as required. Students also will take elective courses in criminology and criminal justice or a related field.
8 core courses = 24 credit hours
Specialty Area/Electives = 18 credit hours
Dissertation = 20 credit hours
Minimum Total Hours Beyond Master's Degree = 62 credit hours
Minimum Total Hours Beyond Bachelor's Degree = 92 credit hours
Degree Requirements
The following section gives the details of course work for the Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice:
Degree Requirements
The following section gives the details of course work for the Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice:
Required Courses (24 credits)
All doctoral students are required to take the following 8 courses totaling 24 hours:
8210 Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
9020 Seminar on the Theories of Crime
9050 Academic Writing
9080 Advanced Statistical Applications (Statistics II)
9090 Special Problems in Research Methods (either quantitative or qualitative)
9100 Special Problems in Statistical Analysis (Statistics III)
9700 Teaching at the College Level
9800 Advanced Research Design
Elective Courses (18 credits)
All doctoral students will select 6 courses from the electives list for a total of 18 hours. One of these elective courses must be a required 3 credit hour diversity course, which can be fulfilled by CRCJ9030, CRCJ8130 or masters level or higher courses from another department as approved by the Supervisory Committee Chair and the Graduate Program Chair. Students are expected to complete the coursework within two years, except in extraordinary circumstances. This will require that they either take 12 hours in two of the semesters or work in 6 credit hours during summer semesters.
8040 Seminar in Police and Society
8050 Seminar in Corrections
8060 Seminar in the Criminal Court System
8070 Seminar in Criminal Law and Procedure
8080 Seminar in Juvenile Justice
8090 Seminar in Theoretical Criminology
8100 Criminal Justice Organization, Administration, and Management
8120 Independent Study in Criminal Justice and Criminology
8130 Seminar in Women and Crime
8190 Independent Study
8210 Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
8800 Special Problems in Criminal Justice
9010 Seminar on Law and Social Control
9030 Seminar on Minorities and the Criminal Justice System
9040 Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice System
9130 Advanced Research Topics in Policing
9150 Special Topics in Criminal Justice Research
9160 Seminar in Community Based Corrections
9170 Seminar in Institutional Corrections
9200 Seminar on Violent Crime and Criminal Behavior
9220 Advanced Criminological Theory and Theory Construction
9980 Directed Readings in Criminal Justice
9990 Dissertation Hours
Both 8000 and 9000 level electives count toward the doctoral degree.
Comprehensive Examination
Nearing completion of the 42 credit hours of course work, doctoral students will be required to establish a Comprehensive Examination Committee and successfully pass the Comprehensive Examination.
Dissertation (20 credit hours)
A 20-credit-hour dissertation will be required of all students. The dissertation must reflect original scholarship and contribute to the body of knowledge on criminology and criminal justice. The dissertation topic must be approved by the student's supervisory committee, which consists of a chair and four other members. One committee member must be from outside the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. The dissertation prospectus and the dissertation itself must be approved by the supervisory committee. An oral defense of the prospectus will be scheduled after students have passed their written comprehensive examinations. An oral defense of the completed dissertation also is required.
For More Information
For more information about the application process and requirements visit the Graduate College website.
For answers to individual questions, please contact Dr. Pauline Brennan, Doctoral Program Chair, at (402) 554-2610 or via email at pkbrennan@unomaha.edu.
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