Criminology, M.A.

The Master of Arts degree in Criminology is offered by the Department of Criminology with two tracks: Criminal Justice Administration and Crime and Social Justice. The Criminal Justice Administration track addresses issues of crime and criminal justice within a framework that emphasizes theory and research and their implications for criminal justice policy and practice. The Crime and Social Justice track trains students in understanding and applying theory and research in academic settings, with an emphasis on preparing students for doctoral work. Both curricula are grounded in the social, behavioral and natural sciences. The Department of Criminology recognizes the value of diverse methodological and theoretical approaches and encourages their complementary use and integration. The MA Criminology program is conceived widely to include the study of crime, justice, law, and society. Criminology faculty members represent broad and varied backgrounds in working with the criminal justice system, dealing with offenders and victims, and conducting research on a wide range of criminal justice issues.

Program Requirements

The master’s degree is granted to those students who accomplish the following:

A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.

Graduate students must successfully complete the following core courses:

(12 hours) with an “A” or “B” earned in each

Note:

(Students who receive a “C” or below in a core course must retake the course until “B” or higher is achieved.)

Students must choose one option:

Under the thesis option, a student must complete the core courses (12 hours), electives (18 hours), and thesis hours (6 hours) with a total of 36 hours.
Under the comprehensive exam option, a student must complete the core courses (12 hours), electives (24 hours), with a total of 36 hours, and successfully pass the comprehensive exam.