Graduate Degree Requirements

The program requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of 36 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree.  The degree includes a core curriculum of 12 hours, which must be completed by all students.  Students will be required to complete the core curriculum of 12 hours and 24 hours of electives.  The degree requires each student to select a thesis or non-thesis option. 

 Thesis Option

 Core Curriculum – Part I (9 hours)
            CJUS 5000 – Criminal Justice Policy                                             3 hours
            CJUS 5600 – Advanced Criminological Theory                            3 hours
            CJUS 5700 – Evaluation and Research Methodologies              3 hours                                                                                                                          9 hours

Core Curriculum – Part II (3 hours)
            CJUS 5200 – Legal Aspects of the Criminal Justice System
            or CJUS 5500 – Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration      3 hours

 Statistics (3 hours)
As part of the departmental consent process to enroll in thesis, all students who are     planning on writing a thesis must satisfactorily complete CJUS 5750 – Criminal Justice Statistics before enrolling in thesis.

CJUS 5750 – Criminal Justice Statistics                                        3 hours

Electives                                                                                                         15 hours

Thesis

            CJUS 5950 – Thesis                                                                         6 hours

                                                                                               Total hours:   36 hours

Non-Thesis Option

 Core Curriculum – Part I (9 hours)
            CJUS 5000 – Criminal Justice Policy                                             3 hours
            CJUS 5600 – Advanced Criminological Theory                            3 hours
            CJUS 5700 – Evaluation and Research Methodologies              3 hours                                         
                                                                                                                         9 hours

Core Curriculum – Part II (3 hours)
            CJUS 5200 – Legal Aspects of the Criminal Justice System
            or CJUS 5500 – Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration      3 hours

 Electives                                                                                                       24 hours

                                                                                               Total hours:   36 hours

Electives

CJUS 5050 – Criminals and Drugs
CJUS 5100 – Information Warfare, Security and Risk Analysis
CJUS 5120 – Cybercrime and Digital Forensics
CJUS 5130 – Information Policy, Law and Justice
CJUS 5250 – Administrative Law and Justice
CJUS 5270 – Criminal Evidence 
CJUS 5350 – Seminar in Contemporary Policing 
CJUS 5450 – Punishment, Discipline and Social Policy 
CJUS 5460 – Correctional Programs 
CJUS 5470 – Seminar in Juvenile Delinquency 
CJUS 5620 – Seminar in Victimology 
CJUS 5750 – Criminal Justice Statistics
CJUS 5800 – Topics in Criminal Justice*
                            
* Content varies as course covers specific issues of current interest and concern in criminal justice and criminology.  May be repeated as topic changes.

        Topics Include:
        Advanced Crime Scene Reconstruction

        Crises in Criminal Justice       

        Domestic and International Terrorism 
        Legal Aspects of Policing 
        Seminar in American Gangs
        Seminar in Community Policing
        Seminar in Forensic Science 
        Seminar in Homicide/Serial Homicide 
        Women and Crime

 Sequence of Courses

 Courses comprising the core curriculum are scheduled in the Fall and Spring semesters.  The schedule for required course offerings is as follows:

Fall of each academic year:
CJUS 5000 – Criminal Justice Policy
CJUS 5700 – Evaluation and Research Methodologies

 Spring of each academic year:
CJUS 5200 – Legal Aspects of the Criminal Justice System 
or CJUS 5500 – Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration

CJUS 5600 – Advanced Criminological Theory
CJUS 5750 – Criminal Justice Statistics