Description
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice offers students an in-depth exploration of the complex and changing world of criminal justice. The historical, political, economic, and philosophical forces shaping crime and punishment in the United States are examined. Students also learn valuable qualitative and quantitative research and computer skills.
Federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies benefit from an informed and innovative work force that is aware of the many complexities of the criminal justice system. The importance of advanced education in criminal justice beyond the bachelor’s degree is increasingly being recognized by employers in Central Florida and throughout the United States.
The M.S. Program in Criminal Justice offers two plans of study. The first has a professional focus and is designed for students whose career goals include working in criminal or juvenile justice agencies. The second plan of study is designed for students who plan to enroll in a Ph.D. program when they complete the master’s program. Students in both plans of study will be exposed to a wide variety of issues and problems within the discipline.
Degrees OfferedMaster of Science in Criminal Justice Admission
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to 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:
- Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years, with a total score of 800 or higher on the combined verbal-quantitative sections.
- A GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study.
- A personal statement reflecting their educational and career goals.
- For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an 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 that fail to meet the GRE and GPA minimum requirements will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.
Application Due Dates
All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.
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Master of Science in Criminal Justice
The M.S. Program in Criminal Justice offers two plans of study. The first has a professional focus and is designed for students whose career goals include working in criminal or juvenile justice agencies. These students will be encouraged to focus on policy-oriented courses and to compile a professional portfolio of their graduate work. The second plan of study 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 and to focus on research-related courses.
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 program of study. 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 and law enforcement. A number of special topic courses will be offered as well.
Minimum Hours Required for M.S.—30 Credit Hours
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 or a non-thesis option, depending on their intended career plans.
Students may transfer up to 6 hours of related graduate course work toward the Master of Science degree. Only courses where the student earned a grade of “B” or above will be accepted for transfer from an accredited university or college.
Minimum Core Requirements—12 Credit Hours
- CCJ 5015 The Nature of Crime (3 credit hours)
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CCJ 5456 The Administration of Justice (3 credit hours)
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CCJ 5704 Research Methods in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
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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 5467 Justice and Safety System Manpower (3 credit hours)
- CJJ 6020 The Juvenile Justice System (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 6485 Issues in Justice Policy (3 credit hours)
- CCJ 6705 Applied Criminal Justice Research (3 credit hours)
- CJJ 6020 The Juvenile Justice System (3 credit hours)
- CJC 5020 Foundation of Corrections (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)
A total 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.
NOTE: Students should obtain the most recent course information for electives from the "Course Catalog" at https://connect.ucf.edu. Consult the "Class Schedule" at https://connect.ucf.edu for those courses offered each term. A student may not take more than 6 credit hours total of Independent Study or Practicum.
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’re interested in financial assistance, you’re 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. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards 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 information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.
Contact Info
Kenneth Reynolds, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2603
kreynold@mail.ucf.edu
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Graduate Students
