Master of Science in Criminal Justice

The Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies offers a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with two tracks of study, the Professional Track and the Research Track.

Professional Track

The Professional Track emphasizes criminal research, theory, policy and organizational administration. It is a 36 credit-hour program designed to prepare future criminal justice organizational leaders to be consumers of research and to be able to summarize and present organizational information. Students in the Professional Track must complete a core of seven courses (21 credit hours), two courses from restricted electives (6 credit hours) and three courses from the graduate-level general electives (9 credit hours).

Research Track

The Research Track emphasizes criminal justice theory, research and policy. It is a 30 credit-hour program designed to emphasize research activity and independent inquiry, while simultaneously providing fundamental course work. This degree is recommended for students seeking an interim degree before pursuing a doctorate. Students in the Research Track must complete a core of six courses (18 credit hours), one course of restricted electives (3 credit hours) and three courses from the graduate-level general electives (9 credit hours).

Application and Admission

Applicants must apply online with the College of Graduate Studies or by accessing the application directly at https://www.students.graduate.ucf.edu/gradonlineapp/.

In addition to completing the general admission requirements, applicants must provide

• Official transcripts of 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
• A score of at least 220 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• A statement of the students career goals, indicating how earning the Master of Science in Criminal Justice will enhance the applicant's career goals
• A professional resume (no longer than two pages)
• Research track only: a score of at least 1,000 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the last five years.

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. 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 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.

The official program's of study for the Master's of Science in Criminal Justice (Professional and Research Tracks) are available online in the UCF Graduate Catalog.

Students should also feel free to contact the Graduate Advising Office at 407-823-2603 or cjgrad@mail.ucf.edu if they have any questions about the Criminal Justice Master of Science.