Criminal Justice Policy and Leadership, Master of Science (M.S.)
Dr. Peter Kraska
Graduate Program Coordinator
General Information
Graduates of the program are expected to demonstrate advanced- level critical and analytical thinking; to apply principles from multiple academic disciplines to problems in criminal justice, adult corrections, juvenile justice, and policing in an effort to formulate creative solutions and to respect, evaluate, and synthesize information from diverse sources, while maintaining a critical focus on issues such as mass incarceration, social injustice, race and gender dynamics, as well as examining alternative approaches to leadership and administration, policy research/analysis, and qualitative/quantitative research methods. A central goal is to develop the student’s leadership/communication/critical thinking skills in order to improve their administrative effectiveness. Further, graduates are required to show competency in the following areas:
- the historical, theoretical, and legal foundations of the field;
- the methods of gathering and analyzing information for research purposes;
- knowledge of the major bases of literature; and
- the ability to function responsively in leadership positions within criminal justice, adult corrections, juvenile justice, and policing agencies.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must:
- meet the requirements of the Graduate School;
- hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution;
- have achieved an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 overall or 3.25 in the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate program;
- have achieved Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of 146 or above on Verbal, 140 or above on the Quantitative and 4.0 or above on the Analytical Writing portions of the GRE; and
- submit the email addresses of two qualified recommenders when completing the application.
Students who have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and/or previously earned advanced degrees including, but not limited to M.S., M.B.A., J.D. or other recognized graduate degrees from an accredited university will be exempt from the GRE requirement. Applicants who do not meet these GPA or GRE requirements, but who otherwise demonstrate promise for successful graduate study, may be granted probationary admission, but such applicants must comply with all requirements of the Graduate School regarding probationary admission. The Master of Science in Criminal Justice Policy and Leadership must be completed online. Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for additional details.
Program Requirements
CIP Code: 43.0104
A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit is required. A maximum of nine hours of approved, outside credit may be transferred to this degree program. All outside credit must be approved by the Department Graduate Committee.
Cross Listed Courses
Some courses are offered under different prefixes with the same course content. Students will not be awarded credit for any course for which they have previously received credit under a cross listed prefix.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CPL 809 | Pro/Policy Eval and Analysis | 3 |
| CPL 810 | Criminological Theory for Policy & Leadership | 3 |
| CPL 818 | Rsrch Mthds Jstc Plcy and Ldrs | 3 |
| CPL 835 | Adv Jus Admin and Leadership | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Choose from 15 hours of the following: | 15 | |
| Violence Against Women | ||
| Lead w Pol, Eth, and Emo Intel | ||
| Policing and Society | ||
| Issues in Juv Instit/Com Cor | ||
| Topics: Just Policy and Lead | ||
| MH/Sub Abuse Issues in Cor Stg | ||
| Understanding Corr/Juv Just In | ||
| Co-op: Justice Policy and Lead 1 | ||
| Adult Corrections | ||
| Corr & Juv Just Interventions | ||
| Law/Ethics in Dealing with Off | ||
| Advanced Organizational Theory | ||
| Race, Identity & Policing | ||
| Comparative & Intl Policing | ||
| Crime and Public Policy | ||
| Independent Study 1 | ||
Approved electives | ||
| Exit Requirements | ||
| CPL 878 | Capstne Applied Resrch Project | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- 1
No more than six hours total may be applied to a degree from CPL 839 Co-op: Justice Policy and Lead and CPL 897 Independent Study (singularly or combined).
Exit Requirements
Capstone Applied Research Project - Prerequisites
Complete all core courses and be in the last semester of coursework prior to graduation. Candidates are required to satisfactorily complete applied research project (CPL 878 Capstne Applied Resrch Project) before they are eligible to graduate from the program.