Program Overview

PhD Program in Criminology and Criminal Justice

The doctoral program in Criminology and Criminal Justice is designed to provide students with a command of criminological knowledge and analytical skills. Professional competence in theory and research methods is expected, as is in-depth knowledge in an area of specialization.

Program Components

The PhD program consists of three major components: coursework, qualifying papers, and the dissertation. The program is 60 credit hours total, including 45 hours of coursework, directed readings during the qualifying papers stage, and a minimum of 6 credit hours of dissertation research.

Coursework

• Required Core Courses (24 hours)
  • CRIMIN 6405: Methods
  • CRIMIN 6410: Statistical Applications in CCJ
  • CRIMIN 5415: Foundations of Criminological Theory
  • CRIMIN 6420: Contemporary Criminological Theory
  • CRIMIN 6450: Theories of the Criminal Legal System
  • CRIMIN 6480: Multivariate Statistics in Criminology
  • CRIMIN 6465: Qualitative Research Design
  • CRIMIN 6470: Quantitative Research Design or advanced methods class
• Seminar courses (at least 12 hours)
  • CRIMIN 6440: Nature of Crime
  • CRIMIN 6441: Juvenile Delinquency
  • CRIMIN 6442: Communities and Crime
  • CRIMIN 6443: Violent Crime
  • CRIMIN 6448: Victimization
  • CRIMIN 6452: The Police
  • CRIMIN 5533: Philosophy of Law
  • CRIMIN 6430: Law and Social Control
  • CRIMIN 6436: Comparative Criminology
  • CRIMIN 6422: Law, Courts, and Public Policy
  • CRIMIN 6454: Corrections
  • CRIMIN 6471: Evaluating Criminal Justice Interventions
  • CRIMIN 6438: Inequalities in Criminal Justice
  • CRIMIN 6550: Seminar in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Elective courses within or outside CCJ (at least 9 hours)
  • CRIMIN 6485: Directed Readings
  • CRIMIN 6495: Internship
  • Other courses at the 5000/6000 level not counted toward the 12 hours above
• Dissertation hours (at least 6 hours)
  • CRIMIN 7499: Ph.D. Dissertation Research

Qualifying Papers

Graduate students in the doctoral program are not officially classified as PhD candidates until they have passed the Qualifying Papers. The goal of the qualifying papers is to establish a student's familiarity with the substantive literature, demonstrate theoretical and methodological expertise, communicate their work effectively, and demonstrate an ability to imaginatively, logically, and creatively use this knowledge to address research questions within the broad realm of criminology, criminal justice, punishment, and the legal system.

The Dissertation

The dissertation is required of all PhD candidates and demonstrates the student's scholarly expertise. The dissertation process formally begins when all other requirements of the PhD program have been met. The dissertation is original research on a topic that is substantively significant, and is a highly individualized project developed in guidance by a dissertation committee.

Application Requirements

• The application deadline for the PhD program is January 10th for enrollment the following Fall.
• Official transcripts are preferred for all PhD applicants.
• A sole-authored paper is preferred as the writing submission.
• Letters of recommendation are intended to convey a student's potential for success in the PhD program.
• The review committee takes a holistic approach to reviewing applications and considers a student's motivation to pursue the PhD and the student's potential for success in completing the program.

Admissions Decisions

• The department receives approximately 45 applications and admits 8 to 10 applicants per year.
• The majority of admitted students enter with a bachelor's degree, but some have a master's degree.
• Admissions decisions are typically made by mid-February.

Funding/Assistantships

• The department is committed to funding all full-time admitted PhD students.
• Assistantships are 20 hours/week as either a graduate research assistant, graduate teaching assistant, or course instructor.
• Current stipends are 12-month stipends totaling $21,600.
• Assistantships come with tuition remission of up to 9 hours each semester.

Career Placement

• The majority of PhD graduates enter academic positions, although not all.
• A listing of job placements for recent PhD graduates is available.

Class Times

• PhD program classes are typically offered from 5:30-8:10 pm with one course per night (M-Th).
• The program is not available online.
• While it is possible to complete the program part-time, students are generally full-time, especially during the coursework and qualifying papers phase.
• The typical timeline for completion ranges from 4 to 6 years, with the majority graduating within 5 or 6 years.