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master of science in criminology & criminal justice.

The Master of Science degree is a 36-credit hour non-thesis program. This degree program offers the student a choice of the standard Master of Science curriculum, a Master of Science with an option in public administration, or a Master of Science with an option in counseling. The public administration option is especially recommended for administrators or future administrators within the criminal justice system. The counseling option is designed for those who wish to work with juvenile and adult offenders in the criminal justice system.

Course Work

To earn the Master of Science degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice, the student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:

Required Core Courses (12* hours)

CJUS 8010 The Nature of Crime
CJUS 8020 Administration of Justice
CJUS 8030 Criminal Justice Research, Theory, and Methodology
CJUS 8950 Statistical Applications in Criminal Justice
*Must be taken within first 18 hours of graduate course work.

Elective Criminology & Criminal Justice Courses (12 hours)

Student selects four of the following courses with advisor approval:

CJUS 8040 Seminar in Police and Society
CJUS 8050 Seminar in Corrections
CJUS 8060 Seminar in the Criminal Court System
CJUS 8070 Seminar in Criminal Law and Procedure
CJUS 8080 Seminar in Juvenile Justice
CJUS 8090 Seminar in Theoretical Criminology
CJUS 8100 Criminal Justice Organization, Administration and Management
CJUS 8110 Criminal Justice Planning and Change
CJUS 8130 Women and Criminal Justice
CJUS 8180 Criminal Justice Internship
CJUS 8190 Independent Study
CJUS 8200 Special Problems in Criminal Justice
CJUS 9000 Theory 2 and Theory Construction
CJUS 9010 Seminar on Law and Social Control
CJUS 9030 Seminar on Minorities and the Criminal Justice System
CJUS 9040 Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice Systems
CJUS 9090 Special Problems in Research Methods (either quantitative or qualitative)
CJUS 9110 Seminar on Police Organizations and Management
CJUS 9120 Seminar on Police Effectiveness
CJUS 9130 Advanced Research Topics in Policing
CJUS 9150 Special Topics in Criminal Justice Research
CJUS 9160 Seminar in Community Based Corrections
CJUS 9170 Seminar in Institutional Corrections
CJUS 9180 Seminar in Court Processing and Sentencing
CJUS 9200 Seminar on Violent Crime and Criminal Behavior
CJUS 9980 Directed Readings

Elective Cognate Courses (9 hours)

In consultation with an advisor the student selects three courses in a related field. Suggested fields include, but are not limited to: public administration, psychology, political science, and sociology.

Capstone Course (3 hours)

MS students will be required to successfully complete CJUS 8970: Capstone Project course (pending approval).

Master of Science - Public Administration Option

To earn the Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice with the Public Administration option, the student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:

Required Public Administration Course (9 hours)

PA 8050 Introduction to Public Administration OR
PA 8440 Seminar in Organization Development in Public Agencies
PA 8400 Public Budgeting OR
PA 8480 Seminar in Public Financial Administration
PA 8410 Public Personnel Management OR
PA 8420 Introduction to Public Organizations
PA 8460 Public Personnel Administration

(NOTE: Students should check Public Administration website for schedule of courses.)

Master of Science - Counseling Option

To earn the Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a counseling option, the student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:

Required Counseling Courses (6 hours)

COUN 8020 Introduction to Counseling
COUN 8030 Counseling Practices
COUN 8110 Human Development and Psychosocial Interventions

Elective Counseling Courses (3 hours)

In consultation with an advisor, the student selects one (1) additional counseling course. Suggested courses include (but are not limited to) the following:

COUN 8016 Child Abuse and Neglect
COUN 8200 Counseling Theories
COUN 8226 Career Development
COUN 8250 Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations COUN 8270 Group Techniques in Guidance
COUN 8370 Group Theories and Practice