Master of Science in Criminal Justice

The Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies offers professional education leading to a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. It offers a course of study that includes analysis of patterns and theories of criminal behavior; criminal justice administration, including critical problems facing law enforcement, courts, corrections and the juvenile justice system; the relationship between law and the legal system; individual and organizational strategies for change; research methods, statistics and computer technologies in criminal justice; and field work in criminal justice agencies. The program requires four core courses that provide the foundation for the program and six advanced-curriculum courses to enhance student's individual degree focus.

The program appeals to a variety of students including recent college graduates as well as employees of criminal justice agencies interested in learning more about their field and advancing their careers. Still others enter the program as a first step toward a Ph.D. in criminal justice or a related field.

Students can have more information on the program mailed to them by submitting the information request form here: https://www.graduate.ucf.edu/inquiry/

Admission requirements to the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program include the following:

• a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 attempted semester hours of credit earned for the bachelor's degree
• OR at least a 1000 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the last five years. The GRE is still required for regular admission into the program. Students can register for no more than nine credit hours before satisfactorily completing the GRE.

The department has the authority to set higher admission standards. A limited number of students may be considered for provisional admission based on additional admission criteria. Applicants will also be asked to submit a personal statement reflecting their educational and career goals and a resume. Individuals whose native language is other than English are required to have a minimum TOEFL score of 220.

Students should be aware that admission to any graduate program is granted on a competitive basis. There may be cases where students meeting minimum requirements are denied admission based on such factors as program capacity or academic discretion.

Students can apply for admission into the Criminal Justice Master of Science program at this address: http://graduate.ucf.edu/gradonlineapp/

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice Program consists of 30 semester hours. Each student must complete four core courses and six advanced-curriculum courses selected in consultation with the advisor.

Below is a sample of courses and topical areas that students will be exposed to:

• The Nature of Crime
• The Administration of Justice
• Research Methods of Criminal Justice
• Quantitative Methods and Computer Utilization in Criminal Justice
• Foundations of Law Enforcement
• Foundations of Corrections
• Policy Analysis in Criminal Justice
• Law and Social Control
• Investigative and Intelligence Analysis
• Perspectives on Genocide
• The Juvenile Justice System
• Applied Criminal Justice Research
• Planned Change and Innovation in Criminal Justice
• Criminal Justice, Crime and Popular Culture

Students should be aware that department rules prohibit the counting of more than 6 credit hours of special courses in their program of study. This includes seminars (CCJ 5931 or CCJ 5934), Study Abroad (CCJ 5957), Criminal Justice Practicum (CCJ 6946), and Independent Study (CCJ 6908). Those students who choose to complete a thesis may only count a maximum of 6 credit hours of thesis towards their program of study and will only be allowed an additional 3 credit hours of special courses.

Students may request the transfer of up to six credit hours of course work from another department at UCF and/or from another college/university in to their program of study. The graduate coordinator must approve the course before the credits can be transferred so it is suggested to seek approval prior to taking the course.

The official program of study for the master's degree in criminal justice is available online in the UCF Graduate Catalog.

Students should also feel free to contact the Graduate Advising Office at 407-823-3738 or cjgrad@mail.ucf.edu if they have any questions about the Criminal Justice Master of Science.