Criminal Justice, MS

36-39 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

Submit the following to the UNT Dallas Office of Graduate Admissions:
1. Graduate School Application for Admission (apply online at www.applytexas.org)
2. Graduate School General Application Form (https://laserfiche.untdallas.edu/Forms/Graduate_Application)
3. Official copies of all college transcripts
Submit additional admission materials to the Department of Criminal Justice.
1. 2 letters of recommendation from professional or academic references
2. A personal statement (minimum 500 words) describing the applicant’s reasons for applying to the program and the applicant’s future career goals.

Admission Standards

Applicants 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 attained at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA or a 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework to be considered for unconditional admission.
Applicants who have already completed a master’s degree must have attained at least a 3.40 cumulative GPA to be considered for unconditional admission.
Conditional admission may be granted to applicants who do not meet the above criteria, depending on the strengths of the other admission materials.
Letters of recommendation should be submitted by professional or academic references and should attest to the applicant’s work experience or academic performance and potential.
The applicant’s personal statement should clearly address the prompt and will be evaluated as an example of the applicant’s written communication skills.

Required Courses

CJUS 5300 - Criminological Theory
CJUS 5301 - Criminal Justice Policy
CJUS 5302 - Criminal Justice Administration
CJUS 5303 - Research Methods
CJUS 5350 - Capstone Seminar
(Non-thesis only)

Option 1 (Non-thesis)

Select 24 Criminal Justice elective hours.

Option 2 (Thesis)

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