Criminal Justice, M.S.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
470-578-6739

The Master of Science with a major in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) is an ideal program for traditional students who aspire to pursue their academic goals and for professionals in the field of criminal justice who want to advance their knowledge and skills for career enhancement. The program includes face-to-face and some online course instructional formats. The program requires either 33 semester credit hours, including six core courses and three elective courses (thesis option), or 36 semester credit hours, including six core courses, five elective courses, and a demonstration project course (non-thesis option).

Requirements for Admission to the MSCJ Program

MSCJ applicants must satisfy all of the requirements of at least one (1) of the two “paths” of admission requirements listed below. 

Path #1

1.  Submission of an application to the graduate admission office and a non-refundable fee
2.  An official copy of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts (Note: Cumulative undergraduate GPA must be at least 2.8 or higher)
3.  Graduate Record Exam - GRE (verbal, quantitative and analytical) (Note: Combined score of 286 or higher needed on verbal and quantitative sections)
4. An application letter stating the student’s interest and goals for the MSCJ program, including a rationale for why/how this program will meet the applicant’s professional needs.
5. Two letters of recommendation (at least one of which should be from an academic)
6. A resume

Path #2 

1.  Submission of an application to the graduate admission office and a non-refundable fee
2. An official copy of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts 
3. (A) Applicant must possess a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.25 or higher *OR*  (B) Applicant must possess a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.8 or higher *and* applicant must have a demonstrated record of successful work experience in the criminal justice field for a period of four (4) or more years 
4. An application letter stating the student’s interest and goals for the MSCJ program, including a rationale for why/how this program will meet the applicant’s professional needs (Note: If the applicant has a record of work experience in the criminal justice field, the applicant should explain in the letter the nature and length of the experience, his or her work-related achievements, and skills/ knowledge acquired.) 
5.  Two letters of recommendation (at least one of which should be from an academic)
6. A resume

Grades in Graduate Courses

Expectations for satisfactory graduate level student performance are detailed in the Academic Policies section of this catalog.

Petition to Graduate

MSCJ candidates must petition to graduate at least one semester prior to completion of their degree requirements.