Criminal Justice M.S. (Online)
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program (MSCJ) is housed in the Department of Government and Sociology. Please see
GCSU's Campus Directory for department and faculty office locations, phone numbers, and email addresses, and use the department website for
additional department information.
Mission
The mission of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program is to create opportunities for critical thinking for future and current practitioners and academic researchers in the field of criminal justice/criminology. Moreover, the program encourages and creates environments conducive to learning the body of knowledge generally defined within the field of criminal justice/criminology which includes the meaning of laws, the creation of laws, the breaking of laws, social reactions to deviant and criminal behavior, and how individuals are processed over time.
The liberal arts mission is at the center of the program by placing emphasis on discussion and research-based learning led by a diverse group of faculty and professionals in the field. Individual relationships between faculty and students create unique opportunities through internships and independent research within the vast field of criminal justice.
More specifically the program is structured to focus on the areas of criminal justice policy, policing, corrections, criminological theory, legal issues, research design and statistics, and ethics. After the completion of the program, graduates will be able to critically analyze criminal justice policy and practices in relation to functioning in a democratic society. The goal of the program is to prepare graduates to assume roles as ethical, responsible citizens and professionals in the field.
Admission Requirements
All Applicants
Regular Admission Requirements
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Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate work.
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Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 are not required to submit exam scores.
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Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.75-2.99 must submit official scores on either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), Miller Analogies Test (MAT), or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) scores. Scores must be posted within the last five years. Test score requirements are a combined score of 290 (verbal and quantitative) on the GRE or a score of at least 395 on the MAT or a score of at least 450 on the GMAT.
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Applicants may make a formal request to waive these requirements only when the applicant has completed another graduate degree program and an appropriate transcript is submitted in support of the request.
Provisional Admission
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Provisional admission may be granted to applicants with at least a 2.75 GPA who have scored GRE 280-289 or MAT: 380-394 or GMAT: 400-449
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Any applicant who does not meet the GPA and/or GRE requirement(s) may be admitted provisionally with a formal review by the Admissions Committee.
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Provisional status may be granted for a maximum of one academic year. All students admitted under provisional status must maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA during the probationary period. At the completion of the provisional period of time, a decision will be made as to accepting the student as a regular admission student. To gain regular admission, a provisionally admitted student must take in that status the equivalent of a semester's full load (9-12) of MSCJ courses and maintain a 3.0 GPA in all graduate coursework.
Graduate Progression Policy
Students are required to maintain a B average in order to remain in the program. Regular status students who receive a final grade of C must have an A to offset the C grade. Regular students whose grade average falls below B will be placed on graduate academic probation. Students on graduate academic probation must bring their graduate institutional average up to B during the semester they are on graduate academic probation. If a student does not bring their graduate institutional average up during the probation period, they will be dismissed from the program.
A student will not earn program credit for a D grade and has one opportunity to retake the course (with graduate coordinator’s approval).
A student may be summarily dismissed from the program if one or more of these conditions exist:
- Student fails to resolve an incomplete by the end of the following semester and the grade automatically is changed to an F.
- Receives an F in any course.
- Receives a grade of C or below in more than one course.
- The student is found guilty of academic dishonesty in accordance with GCSU academic honesty policy (Honor Code).
Career Information
Some students in the MSCJ program are already employed in the public sector and are interested in the MSCJ program for reasons of career development and mobility. In-service students come from practically every possible public sector setting and every level of government. Pre-service students will have available to them the information and assistance of the GCSU Career Center. Faculty will work with students in exploring career options. Many students have found their classmates to be valuable sources of networking information. Students should understand, however, that the purpose of graduate education in criminal justice is to prepare one to be a better manager of a criminal justice agency or to pursue further education. No graduate degree is a guarantee of employment.
Program of Study
The curriculum is divided into required courses, course options, and elective courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take CRJU 6100 in their first or second terms in the MSCJ program. CRJU 6100 serves as an overview to criminal justice and to this particular MSCJ program. At the culmination of the curriculum in their last semesters of course work, students are required to complete an Internship, Capstone, or Independent Study.
There are three tracks in which students can enroll. These tracks share some required courses, but also have course options from which students can choose to tailor their education to align with career or educational goals.
Public Service Track
The Public Service track is for the working practitioner or public service-bound student in any sector of the criminal justice system. Students complete their program with an internship (for traditional students) or work-based learning (for employed practitioners). The latter is a practical application of knowledge to the student’s existing position in a public service agency, such as policy analysis, program implementation, or similar topics. Students in this track could also self-direct an independent study in place of an internship.
Required Courses
Satisfactorily complete each of the following courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take
CRJU 6100 in their first or second terms in the MSCJ program.
CRJU 6100 serves as an overview to criminal justice and to this particular MSCJ program.
Course Option 1
Satisfactorily complete two of the following courses:
Course Option 2
Satisfactorily complete one of the following courses:
| CRJU 6605 | Crim Justice Research Design | 3 |
| CRJU 6610 | Criminal Justice Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Elective Courses
Satisfactorily complete nine hours of CRJU 5000-6999 elective courses or non-CRJU 5000-6999 elective courses with coordinator approval.
Capstone
Satisfactorily complete one of the following courses for three hours of credit:
| CRJU 6940 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| CRJU 6960 | Internship and/or Cooperative | 0-6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Justice Scholar Track
Justice Scholar Track- for students wishing to prioritize Ph.D. preparedness and/or careers in research/analytics. Students complete their experience with a research practicum (
CRJU 6970 Capstone) in which they demonstrate the methodological and statistical skills gained through coursework. Students will need to have demonstrable evidence of research skills to be competitive in the Ph.D./research realm, whether they are analytically or theoretically focused.
Required Courses
Satisfactorily complete each of the following courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take
CRJU 6100 in their first or second terms in the MSCJ program.
CRJU 6100 serves as an overview to criminal justice and to this particular MSCJ program.
Elective Course
Satisfactorily complete threehours of CRJU 5000-6999 elective courses or non-CRJU 5000-6999 elective courses with coordinator approval.
Capstone
Satisfactorily complete the following course:
| CRJU 6970 | Capstone Research Project | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Law and Public Policy Track
The Law and Public Policy track is for pre-law students, criminal justice system and government agency administrators, or students bound for (or currently in) careers in advocacy. Students complete their program with an independent study (
CRJU 6940) or internship (
CRJU 6960) to prepare for post-graduate goals. Pre-law students are recommended to utilize the independent study course to refine their legal research, analysis, and writing skills. In-service administration students are recommended to utilize the independent study course to explore a topic related to their career ambitions. Advocacy or pre-service administration students are encouraged to utilize the internship option to gain critical career experience and networks.
Required Courses
Satisfactorily complete each of the following courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take
CRJU 6100 in their first or second terms in the MSCJ program.
CRJU 6100 serves as an overview to criminal justice and to this particular MSCJ program.
Course Option 1
Satisfactorily complete two of the following courses:
Course Option 2
Satisfactorily complete one of the following courses:
| CRJU 6605 | Crim Justice Research Design | 3 |
| CRJU 6610 | Criminal Justice Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Elective Courses
Satisfactorily complete nine hours of CRJU 5000-6999 elective courses or non-CRJU 5000-6999 elective courses with coordinator approval.
Capstone
Satisfactorily complete one of the following courses for three hours of credit:
| CRJU 6940 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| CRJU 6960 | Internship and/or Cooperative | 0-6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 30