The Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration prepares students for careers in the field of criminal justice and will enhance the careers of those already in the field. This program is designed with flexibility and can be completed in either a one-year or two-year track and includes a comprehensive final exam. There are twelve (12) required courses for a total of 36 hours. Students will be required to take at least two (2) courses per semester for six consecutive semester or four (4) courses per semester for three consecutive semesters, including summer. These courses focus on administration, management, policy making, law, and ethics.

Admission Requirements

• A completed application.
• An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university in criminal justice, law enforcement or a related field.
• Standardized test scores from GRE completed no more than seven years prior to the application submission to the program. 
• Candidates who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to waive the standardized test requirement. 
• A minimum overall GPA of 2.7 on a 4 point scale for all undergraduate work from an accredited institution(s) with a GRE Verbal Reasoning Score of 144 or
  • GPA of 2.6 and GRE Verbal Reasoning Score of 146 or
  • GPA of 2.5 and GRE Verbal Reasoning Score of 148 or
  • Exceptional expertise in the field of Criminal Justice as demonstrated through an interview with the Graduate Studies Committee. 
• All candidates for whom English is not their native language must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the IELTS Exam. On the TOEFL, a minimum of score 500 (paper-based exam), 173 (computer-based), or a 61 (Internet-based) is required.  On the IELTS, a minimum score of a 6 is required.  Graduates of English speaking universities will have TOEFL/IELTS requirements waived.
• Satisfactory completion of an undergraduate or graduate course in research methods and/or statistics prior to admission to the program.
• Current resume or curriculum vitae. 
• Three letters of recommendation which address the applicant’s academic competencies, work performance and fitness to pursue this graduate degree.
• Satisfactory performance on a preadmission Interview.
• Applicants can be granted conditional admission.  

Curriculum – 36 Hours Required

CJ 520 Introduction to Criminal Justice Administration
CJ 530 Technology Applications for Criminal Justice
CJ 540 Ethical Practices in Administration
CJ 550 Law Enforcement and the Community
CJ 600 Research Methods & Statistics in CJ
CJ 610 Human Resource Management
CJ 620 Leadership Psychology
CJ 630 Planning Organizational Staff Development
CJ 640 Strategic Planning and Policy Formulation
CJ 650 Legal Aspects of CJ Administration
CJ 660 Crisis Management, Homeland Security and Critical Incident
CJ 680 Diverse Communications for the CJ Professional

Requirements for Graduation
Two written comprehensive examinations in which students will choose from four comprehensive exam areas – research, law, administration and leadership. The examinations will be graded independently by two faculty members and the grade will be given as distinction, pass or fail. If a student fails a comprehensive exam, the student can take it one more time.  Once a student chooses the comprehensive exam areas, they cannot change the area after failing an exam.

To be recommended for graduation, a student must satisfy all of the pertinent requirements stated in this handbook, including the following:

1. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on all work attempted.
2. Completion of the 36 hours required in the curriculum, including the comprehensive exams.
3. The necessary residence requirement for a degree.
4. Payment of all outstanding financial obligations to the University.