Criminal Justice M.A.
Getting Started
Admission to the Program
The Graduate Committee cannot act on applications until they have been reviewed by the Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment and have met university admissions requirements. Completed applications for admission must be received by the graduate coordinator by April 1.
In addition to the general requirements of the university, specific requirements for admission to classified graduate status are:
1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university;
2. Completion of an undergraduate major in criminal justice, criminology, sociology, or in an allied field such as psychology, administration, or another social science, or recommendation for admission to the program by the Graduate Admissions Committee. Competence in the following prerequisite areas: criminological theory, law enforcement, institutional and community corrections, research methods and statistics is expected;
3. Completion of the graduate entrance writing requirement;
4. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 overall and 3.0 ("B") in the major;
5. Submission of any available GRE or MAT (Miller Analogies Test) scores, in the event the applicant feels that such scores would enhance their chances of admission. Submission of such scores is not mandatory;
6. Submission to the criminal justice program of three letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with the student's academic work and potential to complete the program successfully. Letters must come directly from the writer or be included in a placement file, and will be evaluated by criminal justice faculty members.
Applications will be evaluated on a competitive basis and enrollment is limited.
Advancement to Candidacy
To be advanced to candidacy, a student must have:
1. Achieved classified standing;
2. Traditional Thesis M.A. Option:
completed all required course work except thesis,
or
Professional M.A. Option:
completed all required course work except Comprehensive Examination;
3. Completed all course work taken before advancement to candidacy with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 ("B"). Completed all course work with no more than one course with a grade as low as "C." If a second such grade is earned, the student will be dismissed from the program, but may petition the graduate admission committee for readmission. After reviewing the petition, the committee may allow readmission under such conditions as it deems appropriate. A third grade of "C" or lower will result in permanent dismissal from the program with no recourse to petition;
4. For the traditional thesis option: made arrangements for three faculty members, in consultation with the criminal justice graduate coordinator, to serve as the student's graduate advisory committee, with one member designated to chair the committee;
5. Submitted a formal program of graduate studies to the criminal justice graduate coordinator as approved by the graduate committee. This should be done no later than the end of the second quarter of graduate work;
6. Petitioned the graduate committee, during the quarter in which all course work is to be completed, for formal advancement.
The graduate committee will then consider the student's scholastic performance and other circumstances and either grant advancement to candidacy, specify necessary preparatory studies, or recommend other courses of action.
Please refer to the University catalog at http://catalog.csusb.edu for official information.