Program Overview

Online Master's Program

The Online Master's Program in Criminology is a multidisciplinary field that encourages students with various majors to apply. There are no criminology coursework prerequisites.

Requirements for Admission Consideration

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• The GRE is not required for admission consideration into the online master's program.
• In recent cycles, Master's applicants who gain admission have GPAs of 3.0 or higher for the final two years of undergraduate study.
• A minimum 300- to 500-word statement describing reasons for seeking a master's degree through a distance learning program and ultimate career goals.
• Current resume

Requirements for International Students

• International students whose native language is not English and who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an English-speaking University must provide a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
• The score must be at least 600 on the paper-based test, or at least 250 on the computer-based test, or at least 100 on the Internet-based ibTOEFL test.
• All transcripts/academic records that are not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester — July 1
• Spring Semester — November 1
• Summer Semester — March 1

Coursework

The program requires a total of 36 hours of graduate credit. Of these, 15 hours will be required of all students as core courses. The remaining 21 credits will come from electives. Of these, 12 credit hours should come from courses within the College Of Criminology and Criminal Justice, but up to 9 hours of electives may come from approved courses from other disciplines. A grade of "C" or higher must be earned in all core courses. Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.

Core Courses

• CCJ 5606 Survey Criminological Theories (3): The primary purpose of this course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of criminological theory.
• CCJ 5285 Survey of Criminal Justice Theory & Research (3): An overview of the theoretical issues and research on the law and legal control of deviance in society.
• CCJ 5078 Computer Applications in Criminal Justice (3): An introductory course in the use of the computer and the Internet.
• CCJ 5705 Research Methods in Criminology I (3): Research design for criminological studies with an emphasis on data collection methods and measurement of validity and reliability.
• CCJ 5706 Applied Statistics in Criminology I (3): This course focuses on the use of statistical techniques in criminology.

Criminology Elective Course Examples

• CCJ 5669 Race, Ethnicity, Crime & Social Justice (3): This course considers the relationships among race, ethnicity, and crime in the justice system.
• CJL 5420 Criminal Law, Procedures & Individual Rights (3): The criminal justice system is based upon substantive and procedural criminal law.
• CCJ 5546 Prevention & Treatment Of Crime & Delinquency (3): Theoretical development of crime prevention, punishment, and treatment.
• CCJ 5636 Comparative Criminology & Criminal Justice (3): Courses covers a large quantity of factual information about the nature and amount of transnational crime.
• CCJ 5456 Criminal Justice Administration (3): An application of organization and administration theories to the criminal justice system.
• CJC 5020 Penology (3): A survey of approaches to corrections, correctional institutions, their residents, programs and management, and special problems.
• CJE 5024 Police & Society (3): A social psychological examination of current issues and problems in municipal law enforcement.
• CCJ 6665 Victimology (3): Introduces students to the field of victimology and explores its conceptual boundaries, basic concepts and literature.
• CCJ 5981r Directed Individual Study (3): A course with contents determined by the student in consultation with the instructor.

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer credit is awarded for graduate course work completed at an accredited institution of higher learning. Up to 6 credit hours may be applied as credit towards your degree. Coursework may not have been already used towards a previous degree. A grade of "B" or higher must be earned in course to transfer.