Description

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice offers two plans of study. The first is designed to meet the needs of students preparing for careers in the field of criminal justice or planning to complete a doctoral program of study. The curriculum focuses on the traditional issues such as management, administrative and criminological theory, as well as research and statistics. Other core and elective courses focus on the complex and changing world in which criminal justice systems operate in this country and abroad.

The benefits of an advanced graduate degree in criminal justice are self evident and are being increasingly recognized by employers in central Florida and throughout the United States. Federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies benefit from an informed and innovative workforce that is aware of the complex issues and problems faced by the system regardless of geographic locale. Furthermore, graduates of the program are grounded in the latest theories and learn how these theories affect each individual or organization within the system.

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 attempted semester hours of credit earned for the bachelor's degree; or competitive scores from a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the last five years. A Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score of at least 150 may also be used to satisfy this test requirement. The GRE is still required for regular admission into the program.
• Statement of career goals, indicating how the Criminal Justice M.S. degree will enhance the applicant's career goals.
• A resume (no longer than two pages).

For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Applicants not meeting the minimum standards may be considered as candidates for provisional admittance. However, only students with complete applications (final transcript, GRE and personal statement) will be reviewed under this special admission category.

Students should be aware that admission to any graduate program is granted on a competitive basis. There may be cases where students meeting minimum requirements are denied admission based on such factors as program capacity or academic discretion.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Science in Criminal Justice	Jan 15	Jul 15	Dec 1	Apr 15

 

International Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Science in Criminal Justice	Jan 15	Jan 15	Jul 1	Nov 1

 

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Science in Criminal Justice	Jan 15	Mar 1	Sep 1	Dec 15

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

The M.S. Program in Criminal Justice offers students two options interested in pursing either a professional or traditional M.S. degree. The first has a professional focus and is designed for students whose career goals include working in criminal or juvenile justice agencies. Students in this option will be encouraged to focus on policy-oriented courses and to compile a professional portfolio of their graduate work. The second option is designed for students who plan to enroll in a Ph.D. program when they complete the master’s program. These students will be encouraged to prepare a thesis.

Students in both plans of study will be exposed to a wide variety of issues and problems within the discipline. They will study crime trends and theories of criminal behavior. They will analyze the administration of justice within the United States, including critical problems facing law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Qualitative and quantitative research methods, statistics, and computer technologies in the criminal justice field will also be part of each student’s curriculum.

Students will select elective courses based on their preferred focus. These courses involve analysis of juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system; the relationship of law to social policy; individual and organizational strategies for change; the connection between popular culture, the mass media, crime, and criminal justice; and the future of corrections, courts and law enforcement. A number of special topic courses will also be offered.

Each student completes a core of 4 courses (12 credit hours) and an advanced curriculum of 6 courses (18 credit hours) selected in consultation with an adviser. Students may select a thesis option, depending on their intended career path. With the consent of the graduate director, senior scholar or post-baccalaureate students may transfer up to nine hours of related graduate course work taken at UCF while an undergraduate toward the Master of Science degree. However, students who already have a bachelor’s degree from another accredited university and are not part of the senior scholars program are limited to transferring 6 hours into their program of study. Only courses where the student earned a grade of “B” or above will be accepted for transfer regardless of source as long as it was earned from an accredited university or college.

Independent learning is demonstrated throughout the curriculum through the process of inquiry and dialogue. Tangible projects such as advanced research projects, scholarly papers, internships, practicum, and presentations at professional conferences also contribute to the self development of our students. The research study and final report will focus on reviewing and analyzing contemporary research in a student’s particular specialization within the profession in order to help students acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to research-based best practices in that specialization area.

Degree Requirements

Minimum Hours Required for M.S.—30 Credit Hours

Minimum Core Requirements—12 Credit Hours

• CCJ 5015 The Nature of Crime (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5456 The Administration of Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5704 Research Methods in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6706 Quantitative Methods and Computer Utilization in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)

Advanced Curriculum—18 Credit Hours—Select Six Courses.

• CJC 5020 Foundations of Corrections (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5105 Foundations of Law Enforcement (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5040 International Perspectives on Law and Justice (6 credit hours)
• CCJ 5073 Data Management Systems for Crime Analysis (3 credit hours, fall only)
• CCJ 5406 Research and Technology Implementation (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5467 Justice and Safety System Manpower (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5617 Mental Disorder, Crime, and Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5675 Human Rights and Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5931 Contemporary Criminal Justice Strategies (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 5934 Criminal Justice Investigative Process (1 credit hour)
• CCJ 6669 Race, Crime and Justice (3 credit hours)
• CJJ 6020 The Juvenile Justice System (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6051 Community Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6074 Investigative and Intelligence Analysis Theory and Methods (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6077 Advanced Crime Mapping and Analysis in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours, summer only)
• CCJ 6079 Crime Mapping and Analysis in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours, spring only)
• CCJ 6106 Policy Analysis in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6217 Law and Social Control (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6362 Death Penalty (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6431 Leadership and Ethics in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6485 Issues in Justice Policy (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6705 Applied Criminal Justice Research (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6730 Planned Change and Innovation in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6908 Independent Study (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6934 Criminal Justice, Crime, and Popular Culture (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6938 Special Topics in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours) (topic varies from semester to semester)
• CCJ 6946 Criminal Justice Practicum (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 6971 Thesis (3 credit hours)

Note: Students should obtain the most recent information for courses offered each term in Polaris at MyUCF.

Program of Study and Exit Requirements

Students must complete 30 hours of course work with at least a 3.0 overall grade point average in their course work of study. Internal program policies prohibit the substitution of additional course work into the program of study due to poor academic performance. Further, university guidelines stipulate that 50 percent (or 15 hours) of their 30-hour program of study must consist of classes taken at the 6000 level or higher. Students are encouraged to meet with a program adviser (or their graduate director) before enrolling in courses.

Students should also be aware that department rules prohibit the counting of more than 6 credit hours of special seminar courses (CCJ 5931 or CCJ 5934) in their program of study. Further, a maximum of 6 credits may be taken outside of the department in related areas such as Public Administration, Political Science, Psychology, Computer Science, Social Work, Sociology, or other areas approved by the faculty.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you are interested in financial assistance, you are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and therefore are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

Joseph Sanborn, Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-6486
cjgrad@mail.ucf.edu