Criminal Justice (MS) All Academic Programs
The Department of Criminal Justice offers a program leading to the M.S. degree. The primary purpose of the program is to provide the criminal justice student with a broad knowledge base and specialized technical training in criminal justice. Course work in the program is designed to increase individual competency, develop analytical thought processes and facilitate the development of abilities and skills. Course work focuses on examination of contemporary issues in the administration of justice counseling, research and management problems in the fields of criminal justice and correctional education. Through the advanced study of theoretical and applied issues the Master’s degree student will be prepared to assume leadership positions in the field of criminal justice.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
For the Master of Science degree, areas of specialization include administration, correctional counseling, crime and delinquency prevention and control, and criminal justice planning and research. For the Master of Education degree, areas of specialization include correctional education, correctional counseling, and correctional administration.
Students enrolled in the criminal justice program may pursue studies on a full-time or part-time basis in either a degree or non-degree capacity. A student desiring to work toward either of the degrees must confer with the department chairperson for initial advisement and for the assignment of a faculty advisor.
With the written approval of the department chairperson, a nondegree seeking student may register for criminal justice courses while acceptance to a degree program is pending. No more than twenty-one (21) credit hours completed as a non-degree-seeking student may be applied toward either the M.S. or M.Ed. degree.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
The Department of Criminal Justice offers two options for completion of the master’s degree: comprehensive examination and thesis.
- Option I - Comprehensive Examination: Students choosing Option I must complete a minimum of thirty-three (33) hours of course work in the graduate curriculum, submit a completed seminar paper meeting accepted standards in the discipline and pass a comprehensive examination.
- Option II - Thesis: Students choosing Option II must complete thirty-three (33) hours of course work plus CRJU 583 and 584. The final written thesis must show evidence of research rigor and meet accepted standards in the discipline. Each student is required to present an oral defense of the thesis before a faculty thesis advisor.
FIELD TRAINING AND INTERNSHIP IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Each student working toward a Master’s degree in criminal justice is encouraged to complete a minimum of three (3) credit hours in either field training or internship in a criminal justice setting related to the area of specialization. The field training/internship experience consists of a minimum of ninety (90) clock hours of field-related experience for one (1) full semester. The primary objective of the field training/internship is to enable the student to experience criminal justice system practices in action. Field training/internship involves placement in agencies that agree to provide supervised experience at a level corresponding to the student’s academic development and career goals. Because field training/internship is viewed as an opportunity to integrate concepts acquired in the classroom with the practical problems of the criminal justice field, students will normally not be approved for enrollment in the field training/internship prior to completion of a minimum of twenty-five (25) hours of graduate credit.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
| Core Courses: (12-21 Credit Hours) Credits | |
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| CRJU 550 | Introduction to Correction Systems | 3 |
| CRJU 553 | Public Administration | 3 |
| CRJU 554* | Graduate Survey in Criminal Justice Administration | 3 |
| CRJU 557 | The Criminal Justice Function in African American Society | 3 |
| CRJU 558 | Social Control, Criminal Justice and Community Relations | 3 |
| CRJU 559* | Review and Evaluation of Criminal Justice Research | 3 |
| CRJU 563* | Advanced Criminology | 3 |
| EDUC 582* | Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| EDUC 581* |
Statistics in Social and Behavioral Sciences (required if student has no previous background) |
3 |
| CRJU 583 | Thesis Project I (required in thesis option) | 3 |
| CRJU 584 | Thesis Project II (required in thesis option) | 3 |
| *Required course | ||
Note: EDUC 581 and EDUC 582 are prerequisites for CRJU 583 and CRJU 584.
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Requirements for the Specialty Areas Criminal Justice Administration: (9 Credit Hours) |
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| CRJU 551* | Administrative Theory | 3 |
| CRJU 560* | Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration | 3 |
| CRJU 568* | Problems in the Exercise of Institutional Authority | 3 |
| Crime and Delinquency Prevention and Control: (9 Credit Hours) | |
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| CRJU 501* | Sociology of Crime and Delinquency | 3 |
| CRJU 562* | Community Corrections | 3 |
| CRJU 566* | Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Corrections | 3 |
| Correctional Counseling: (9 Credit Hours) | |
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| CRJU 506* | Practicum in Correctional Counseling/ Education | 3 |
| REHB 516* | Theories and Techniques of Counseling | 3 |
| REHB 610* | Organization and Administration of Counseling and Rehabilitation Programs | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Research and Planning* (9 Credit Hours) | |
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| CRJU 516* | Comprehensive Planning in the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CRJU 574* | Research for Planning | 3 |
| CRJU 577* | Criminal Justice Program Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
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Recommended Electives: (12 Credit Hours) Credits: To be selected from the following courses or any of the above courses which are not used to fulfill requirements. |
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| SPED 510 | Seminar in Psychology of Exceptional Individuals | 3 |
| PSYC 511 | Advanced Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| CRJU 515 | Information Processing and the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| PSYC 613 | Career Development and Occupational Choice | 3 |
| PSYC 612 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| CRJU 514 | Psychiatry and the Law | 3 |
| CRJU 517 | Employment Problems of the Offender | 3 |
| CRJU 519 | Rights of the Incarcerated | 3 |
| PSYC 641 | Advanced Individual and Group | 3 |
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Counseling, Diagnosis and Assessment of the Addicted Client | 3 |
| CRJU 564 | Criminal Justice Management | |
| CRJU 565 | Field Training | |
| CRJU 567 | Case Analysis in Prevention Programs | |
| CRJU 569 | Counseling the Juvenile and Adult Offender | |
| CRJU 573 | Issues in Curriculum Construction in Correctional Education | |
| CRJU 575 | Quantitative Research in Criminal Justice | |
| CRJU 588 | Supervision and Administration of Correctional Education Programs | |
| CRJU 601 | Seminar in Professional Research | |
| REHB 636 | Multicultural Counseling | |
| *Required Course | |
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