Program Overview

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system, including its policies, administration, and research methods. The program offers two tracks: a Thesis Track (Plan I) for students interested in pursuing a doctorate in criminal justice or criminology, and a Non-Thesis Track (Plan II) for students interested in pursuing entry- or advanced-level positions in a criminal justice or related agency setting.

Program Requirements

• The Thesis Track requires 30 hours of coursework, including a thesis project under the supervision of a faculty committee.
• The Non-Thesis Track requires 33 hours of coursework, including electives and a research project.
• Both tracks require a core set of courses, including Patterns in Crime, Pro-Seminar in Criminal Justice, Seminar in Criminological Theory, Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy, and Seminar in Research Design.

Admission Criteria

• Students must meet the minimum admission criteria established by the Graduate School and the program, including a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
• Students who have not taken an introductory-level statistics course and an introductory-level research methods course may be admitted on a contingency basis.
• International applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL and TWE scores.

Courses

The MSCJ program offers a wide range of courses, including:

• CJ 500: Drugs and Society
• CJ 501: Foundations of Digital Forensics
• CJ 502: Computer Forensics
• CJ 503: Restorative Justice
• CJ 504: Serial Killers
• CJ 507: Special Topics in Criminal Justice
• CJ 508: Juvenile Delinquency
• CJ 511: Juvenile Justice System
• CJ 512: Juvenile Law
• CJ 519: Investigating Online Crimes
• CJ 530: Ethics and Computer Forensics
• CJ 537: Digital Media Forensics
• CJ 538: Investigation of Malicious Attacks
• CJ 540: White Collar and Corporate Crime
• CJ 542: Race, Crime, and Social Policy
• CJ 543: Women and Crime
• CJ 550: Questioned Death Investigation
• CJ 554: Financial Crimes and Investigations
• CJ 560: Violence: An American Tradition
• CJ 562: Victimization and the Life Course
• CJ 563: Urban Structures
• CJ 564: Crime and Place
• CJ 566: Spatial Analysis
• CJ 583: Patterns in Crime
• CJ 592: Study Away in Criminal Justice
• CJ 600: Pro-Seminar in Criminal Justice
• CJ 601: Seminar in Criminological Theory
• CJ 603: Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration
• CJ 604: Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy
• CJ 605: Seminar in Research Design
• CJ 606: Seminar in Data Analysis
• CJ 675: Law Evidence and Procedure
• CJ 688: Special Topics in Criminal Justice
• CJ 693: Graduate Practitioner Internship in Criminal Justice
• CJ 695: Graduate Independent Study (Non-Thesis)
• CJ 696: Graduate Internship in Criminal Justice
• CJ 697: Graduate Plan II Research Project
• CJ 698: Directed Research (Non-Thesis)
• CJ 699: Thesis Research

Faculty

The MSCJ program is taught by a diverse and experienced faculty, including:

• Copes, J. Heith
• Gardner, Elizabeth A.
• Griffin, O. Hayden
• Kerley, Kent R
• Leban, Lindsay
• Lim, Hyeyoung
• Linville, Jason G.
• McGrath, Shelly A.
• McLester, Laura
• Morgan, Kathryn
• Mwenesongole, Ellen M
• Todak, Natalie
• Walker, Jeffery
• Warner, Gary
• Warner, Tara

Accelerated Learning Opportunities

The MSCJ program offers an accelerated Bachelor's/Master's (ABM) option for high-achieving undergraduate students pursuing a BS degree in Criminal Justice at UAB. The following courses are approved for shared credit:

• CJ 500
• CJ 503
• CJ 507
• CJ 508
• CJ 511
• CJ 540
• CJ 542
• CJ 543
• CJ 544
• CJ 560
• CJ 563
• CJ 564
• CJ 566
• CJ 583

Financial Aid

Students who are admitted to the MSCJ program "in good standing" are eligible to receive department-based financial aid in the form of graduate assistantships or scholarships that are awarded on a competitive basis.

Additional Information

• Deadline for entry term(s): Fall and Spring
• Deadline for all application materials to be in the Graduate School Office: July 1 for Fall and November 1 for Spring
• Number of evaluation forms required: Three
• Entrance tests: TOEFL and TWE required for international applicants whose native language is not English.