The Master of Science
degree in Criminal Justice provides students with advanced theoretical, legal,
and methodological training for research, teaching, and management careers in
criminal justice. The program serves to educate criminal justice professionals
and prepare students for further advanced graduate work, legal studies, and
scholarship. The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology is committed to:
-
providing students with
the conceptual and research skills needed to undertake advanced analyses of
the criminal justice system;
-
serving criminal justice
professionals and others who are interested in pursuing professional careers
in management and administration;
-
furnishing law
enforcement, corrections and court practitioners with knowledge of justice
administration, theoretical perspectives of human behavior, policy analysis
and criminal justice theory; and
-
preparing social
scientists to pursue careers in university and research settings.
Program
Admission
Applications to the
program are due by July 1 for the fall semester and by November 1 for the spring
semester. However, students are strongly encouraged to apply early. Applications
submitted after the due dates will be considered, but no later than three weeks
from the start of classes for the fall semester and four weeks for the spring
semester. Application for admission does not guarantee acceptance into the
program.
To apply, all students must first complete and return the Graduate
Application for Admission to the Graduate Admissions Office (available
at
http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/).
Moreover, students are encouraged to review the Graduate Catalog online at
http://www.marshall.edu/catalog/Graduate/
for complete information on the graduate application process and
university policies. To be considered for admission
to the M.S. program,
all applicants must provide a complete application file that contains the
following items
(all materials submitted
to the Graduate Admissions Office):
-
a baccalaureate degree
from an accredited college or university (preference will be given to
applicants with undergraduate majors in criminal justice or closely related
social science discipline);
-
an undergraduate Grade
Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all previously
completed undergraduate university work;
-
GRE scores (will be
evaluated in combination with the undergraduate GPA);
a score of 550 or higher
on the TOEFL (for international students only);
a C or better in
an undergraduate research methods course or equivalent (documentation of
course content may be required);
two letters of
recommendation (college instructors strongly preferred); and
a personal statement
(1-2 page essay regarding the student’s interest in criminal justice and how
the M.S. in Criminal Justice degree will benefit him or her).
Students may be
considered for provisional admission or conditional enrollment. Please see:
http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/typesofadmissions.asp. All prospective
students are strongly encouraged to contact the Criminal Justice Graduate
Director before applying to the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program to
discuss the application process and requirements.
The
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology is housed on the Huntington campus, and all classes
take place in Smith Hall. However, all application material (including
letters of reference) must be sent directly to the graduate admission's office
in South Charleston at the following address:
Marshall University
Graduate Records and Admissions
100
Angus E. Peyton Drive
South
Charleston, WV 25303-1600
For questions regarding application status, please contact our
admissions counselor, Erin Mishoe, at 304-746-2066 (toll free 800-642-9842).
International Students: Please contact the Center for International
Programs, Marshall University, One John Marshall Drive, Huntington, West
Virginia 25755-1054 U.S.A. Send email to
CIP@marshall.edu or visit the CIP web site at
http://www.marshall.edu/cip/. Marshall
University is approved for attendance of non-immigrant students under the
Federal Immigration and Naturalization Act.
Plan of Study
Before registration for
the 12th graduate credit hour, all graduate students must complete
an official Plan of Study form to be approved by the Graduate
Director and/or Department Chair and submitted to the Graduate
College Office.
Core Curriculum
The Master of Science
degree requires the completion of 32 hours of coursework and writing
a thesis, or completion of 36 hours of coursework and the passing of
written and oral comprehensive examinations. The curriculum is
structured around a set of core requirements that provide a broad
foundation in criminological theory, research and statistics,
criminal law as well as aspects of criminal justice policy and
practice.
All students are
required to complete 18 hours of core courses:
CJ 602, Law and Social
Control
CJ 603, Criminal Justice
Planning
CJ 604, Advanced Theory
in Criminal Justice
CJ 621, Advanced
Criminal Law and Procedure
CJ 655, Research Methods
in Criminal Justice
CJ 656, Applied
Statistics in Criminal Justice
CJ 655, Research Methods
in Criminal Justice, and CJ 656, Applied Statistics in Criminal
Justice, are a two-course sequence that should be completed by all
students during the first academic year in the graduate program
(within the first 12 graduate credit hours for part-time students).
Exceptions are made for students who must take prerequisite courses
before enrolling in this sequence.
The Department of
Criminal Justice and Criminology maintains a “two C rule” whereby
students who earn more than two grades of C or lower in any graduate
courses will be withdrawn from the program.
Thesis Option
For students planning to
continue graduate studies, the thesis is the preferred option for
receipt of the M.S. degree in Criminal Justice. Students electing
the thesis option must complete 32 hours of graduate credit from the
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. Students selecting
the thesis option must complete the core courses and have a written
thesis proposal/prospectus approved by the thesis committee prior to
enrolling for thesis credit. The remaining credit hours may be
granted for thesis research (up to 6 credit hours) or elective
courses. The 6 thesis research hours are normally taken in
three-hour increments over two successive semesters, immediately
preceding graduation, and after course requirements are completed.
Students must enroll in CJ 681, Thesis, for a maximum of 6 graduate
credit hours. All students selecting the thesis option must pass an
oral defense. In cooperation with the Graduate Director, a student
should form a thesis committee. The thesis committee assists in
selecting and developing the research problem and evaluates the
student’s work on that problem. A student who selects the thesis
option should outline the thesis option early in his or her studies
in consultation with members of the graduate faculty. The student
should also determine the graduate faculty member of the department
who will serve as chair of the student’s thesis committee.
Non-Thesis
Option
Students who select the
M.S. degree without a thesis must complete 36 credit hours of
graduate coursework The credit hours include the 18-hour core course
requirement and 18 CJ elective hours. The elective hours may be
completed using a variety of classes offered by the Department of
Criminal Justice and Criminology. All students who select the
non-thesis option must pass both written and oral comprehensive
exams. In order to sit for the comprehensive examination, students
must select a committee as well as complete and return the
Comprehensive Examinations form to the Graduate Director prior to
the end of the second week of the semester they plan to graduate.
The Comprehensive Examination form must be signed by all committee
members and will remain valid only for the semester in which it is
signed. The committee must consist of at least three
readers/evaluators who hold Marshall University graduate faculty
status. In addition, a majority of the committee must consist of
full-time faculty from the Department of Criminal Justice and
Criminology, and the committee chair must be a faculty member in the
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology with graduate faculty
status. This committee will be responsible for both writing and/or
selecting the examination questions and evaluating the adequacy of
the student’s responses. The comprehensive written examination
consists of four questions. The four questions assess knowledge
rooted in the program’s core courses. Students will be asked to
answer one question in each of the following content areas:
criminological theory; research and advanced statistics; advanced
criminal law and procedures; and criminal justice planning. The
comprehensive oral examination will focus on areas deemed weak,
incomplete, or inconsistent in the written portion of the test.
However, the committee may ask students other related questions
deemed appropriate. Both written and oral comprehensive examinations
are administered once during the fall, spring, and summer semesters
unless otherwise specified.
Choosing
Classes
All curriculum choices should be made in consultation with the Graduate
Director. Students should keep in mind that they cannot retake
undergraduate/graduate classes they took as an undergraduate student at Marshall
University (if applicable).
Departmental
Graduate Director
All new graduate students must
meet with the Graduate Director before their first semester as
a graduate student. The Graduate Director is
Dr. Kimberly DeTardo-Bora
(304-696-3084) detardobora@marshall.edu).
Once admitted to the program, students should contact her immediately to set up
an initial appointment.
Helpful Links
Department of Criminal
Justice & Criminology
Marshall
University
One John Marshall
Drive
Huntington, WV
25755-2662
