Criminal Justice, MS

36-hour degree in Criminal Justice

The UNT Dallas Department of Criminal Justice offers a Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ). The 36-hour MS degree is a focused graduate degree that combines theory, application and experiential learning. Criminal Justice studies the practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts. Students delve into the social and behavioral sciences, as well as the relation of law and ethics to the phenomenon of crime.

Criminal Justice Program Coordinator: Dr. Julie Siddique, Phone: 972-338-1835, Email: Julie.Siddique@untdallas.edu

 

Admission Procedure

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1.  Submit the following to the UNT Dallas Office of Graduate Admissions:
   1. Graduate School Application for Admission (apply online at www.applytexas.org)
   2. Official copies of all college transcripts
2. Submit additional admission materials to the Department of Criminal Justice.
   1. 2 letters of recommendation
   2. A one-page essay describing the applicant’s reasons for pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice

 

Admission Standards

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• Students seeking admission into the MSCJ program must have obtained a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice or a closely related discipline from a four year accredited institution.
• Applicants must have at least 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework leading to the bachelor’s degree, or a 3.00 GPA on all undergraduate work, to be considered for unconditional admission. Applicants who have already completed a master’s degree must have at least a 3.40 GPA on the master’s.
  (Conditional admission may be granted to students who do not meet the above criteria but on the basis of the strength of all of the other admission factors.)
• The MSCJ program requires that a student maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 (B) or better.
• The MSCJ Admissions Committee will recommend dismissal of a student from the master’s program if the student receives more than two course grades of C or below (for purposes of this rule, the lowest grade received in a course is used).
• MSCJ students may not graduate with more than two C’s in their program requirements, although a course may be repeated to raise a grade of C or less.

 

Required Courses

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• CJUS 5300 - Criminological Theory
     
• CJUS 5301 - Criminal Justice Policy
    
• CJUS 5302 - Criminal Justice Administration
    
• CJUS 5303 - Research Methods
    

 

Option 1 (Non-thesis)

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Select 24 Criminal Justice elective hours.

• CJUS 5305 - Contemporary Policing
    
• CJUS 5306 - Legal Aspects of the Criminal Justice System
    
• CJUS 5307 - Correctional Practices and Programs
    
• CJUS 5308 - Administrative Law and Justice
    
• CJUS 5309 - Victimology
    
• CJUS 5310 - Punishment and Social Policy
    
• CJUS 5311 - Addiction and Criminal Behavior
    
• CJUS 5312 - Information Warfare, Security and Risk Analysis
    
• CJUS 5313 - Cybercrime and Digital Forensics
    
• CJUS 5314 - Information Policy, Law and Justice
    
• CJUS 5315 - Criminal Evidence
    
• CJUS 5316 - Juvenile Delinquency
    
• CJUS 5317 - Law & Behavioral Science
    
• CJUS 5318 - Green Criminology & Environmental Policy
    
• CJUS 5319 - Class, Race, Gender, and Crime
    
• CJUS 5320 - Terrorism and the War on Terror
    
• CJUS 5321 - Sex Offenses and Offenders
    
• CJUS 5397 - Special Problems
    
• CJUS 5398 - Topics in Criminal Justice
    
• CJUS 5399 - Directed Studies
    

 

Option 2 (Thesis)

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Choose 15 Criminal Justice elective hours in addition to the following 9 hours.

• CJUS 5304 - Data Analysis
     
• CJUS 5601 - Master’s Thesis