2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Criminal Justice
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 Return to: Robert D. & Carol Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services
Nathan R. Moran
Chair, Criminal Justice Department
Laura Fidelie
Graduate Coordinator
| Graduate Faculty: |
Atkins, Fidelie, Kuanliang, Moran |
The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice is a discipline that encompasses the preservation and protection of social order in a free society. It includes such principles as democracy, rule of law, constitutionalism, civil liberties, and the safeguarding of citizens against intimidation and oppression. The Criminal Justice curriculum, which is based on the University’s liberal arts core, is designed to prepare students for higher education or entering careers in criminal justice. Graduates are expected to continue their personal and professional development in a variety of practical settings. To achieve this mission, four dimensions of development serve as a basis for the curriculum.
(1) Knowledge, Reasoning, Judgment: The Criminal Justice curriculum provides students the opportunity and assistance to acquire knowledge of the roles of policing, courts, laws, corrections, and international affairs as they contribute to social order. Students will gain knowledge of the history, concepts, and critical issues in these areas through criminal justice required courses. The curriculum further provides a theoretical foundation of the discipline, combined with a thorough understanding of the scientific methods, as it applies to criminal justice. This combination is expected to sharpen the students’ reasoning and judgment - qualities imperative to rational functioning in the discipline.
(2) Ability, Skills, Integration: The Criminal Justice curriculum provides students with the ability to achieve the professional goals of criminal justice. Students will learn how to prudently integrate knowledge and practice in criminal justice. Furthermore, the curriculum provides students with an opportunity to develop the individual and group skills necessary to meet various role expectations.
(3) Conduct, Professionalism, Ethics: The Criminal Justice curriculum will provide graduates with an appreciation for the complexity and dilemmas associated with the criminal justice profession. Criminal Justice students will be exposed to the moral and ethical dimensions of the various careers within the discipline and will be charged with the essential aptitudes necessary for their professional conduct.
(4) Vision, Change, Adaptation: The Criminal Justice curriculum will provide students with an understanding of the discipline as it currently exists and as it is envisioned in the future. The Criminal Justice student will be able to apply vision in the face of change and to respond to the evolving nature of criminal justice and society. Furthermore, students will be equipped with the tools of adaptation for making these changes.
Goals and Objectives
The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice is designed to prepare graduate students in conducting research and actively participating in the development of knowledge in the areas of criminological theory, crime control, and correctional and police administration. The curriculum is broad enough to satisfy these various interests. Students who are planning careers in law enforcement, corrections or rehabilitation, or who wish for a deeper understanding of crime and the criminal justice system should confer with the Graduate Program Advisor to develop a combination of elective courses which will support their particular career interests.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Master of Arts program is based on the CRJU Admissions Committee’s assessment of the applicant’s scores on the Graduate Record Examination, the undergraduate academic record, and letters of recommendation from undergraduate professors. In some instances a personal interview will also be requested. Admission considerations include the following: (1) that the applicant has, or will soon have, an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution in an allied field; (2) official transcripts of all academic work previously undertaken; (3) at least two letters of recommendation from undergraduate professors; (5) a personal essay of the applicant’s career goals and aspirations; and (6) international students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 79 (internet-based) is required. A holistic review of each student’s application will be completed on a competitive basis.
Direct Path Admission
Students graduating from Midwestern State University with an undergraduate degree in one of the following areas, and having an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or greater, shall be automatically admitted into the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Program (upon application to the University and the Department):
Criminal Justice, Bachelor’s of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sociology, Social Work, Political Science, Psychology.
Application for Re-Admittance
The department does recognize that in rare cases, situations may arise which result in course grades that may cause a student to be administratively dismissed from the program. In those cases, a student may apply to the department’s academic review committee for re-admission after he or she has been officially dismissed from the program. The student must submit a letter requesting readmission with supporting documentation of ability to perform satisfactory academic work. Approval of the request will be based upon the student’s written essay in his or her original application, the trend of undergraduate and graduate grades, professional work experience, letter of request, , and consideration of letters of recommendation. Approval of a re-admission request moves the student to conditional status with attendant requirements, which shall be evaluated based on a time schedule established by the department’s academic review committee.
Requirements for Academic Good Standing
Any student who receives two grades of C or D, or a combination of C and D, or receives one grade of F will be administratively removed from the program. MACJ courses in which the student earns a grade of C or lower, may be repeated one time for a higher grade, with the approval of the Chair of the Department, in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. A 3.0 overall grade point average is required for graduation, and students must have a grade of B or better in all courses in the major.
Admission to Candidacy
Admission to Candidacy occurs when the student completes all course requirements.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice is a 36-hour degree which does not include a thesis. No minor is required.
ProgramsMajorCoursesCriminal Justice
Return to: Robert D. & Carol Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services
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