Program Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses
Program Description
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management degree is designed for persons in mid-management positions in criminal justice agencies or for those who have a reasonable expectation of being promoted to such a position. It serves practitioners whose jobs and family commitments prevent them from returning to campus as full-time students. The Master of Science program restructures classroom hours allowing the fully-employed person to earn a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management program in two years. The degree program is offered in two delivery formats: weekend or online. For the weekend program, on-campus classroom attendance requires about five weekends each spring and fall semester and during the combined summer sessions. A student in full-time attendance earns six credit hours in each of the fall and spring semesters and combined summer sessions, totaling 18 credit hours per year. The online format requires students to complete one course in a 7 1/2 week format. Students complete two consecutive courses each semester for a total of six semesters.
Admissions
Please submit all documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Admission considerations include the following:
- Graduate Application
- Application Fee
- An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution in an allied field
- Official transcripts of all academic work previously undertaken
- An acceptable undergraduate degree grade point average (Note: A prima facie acceptable GPA is a 3.0 for the final 60 baccalaureate credits; a GRE score may be required to demonstrate graduate study readiness if the GPA is inordinately low)
- One letter from the applicant’s employment agency, indicating awareness of the time commitment involved over the next two-year period, and a willingness to enable the employee to keep his/her weekend commitments (for the weekend program only)
- A completed College of Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Applicant Questionnaire
- A personal essay regarding career background and goals
- Current employment in a criminal justice occupation with a minimum of three years experience
- International students ONLY: 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.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management is a 36-hour degree program. No thesis is required, but the student must complete a capstone course (CRIJ 6388) with a grade of B or better to satisfy the University’s comprehensive examination requirement.