Criminal Justice with a concentration in Theory and Research, MS

The program requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of 36 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. The degree includes the core curriculum of 15 hours, which must be completed by all students.

Admission requirements

To receive admission to the master’s degree program with a major in criminal justice and concentration in theory and research, applicants must have a 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration. In addition, applicants must complete the verbal and analytical writing sections of the Graduate Record Exam. Any changes to the above standards must be approved by the department graduate committee.

In order for an application to be considered for admission, the student’s application packet needs to be completed by August 1 (for fall admission) or December 1 (for spring admission). A completed application packet includes the following:

application
transcripts
official GRE scores on file with the graduate school, and
personal statement.

The personal statement is sent directly to the department graduate advisor and includes an explanation of the following: career goals, why the student is pursuing a master’s degree, prior experience in the criminal justice field, prior research experience in criminal justice, and anything in the student’s personal background relevant to the admission decision.

Personal statements are sent directly to:

Adam Trahan, PhD
Graduate Advisor
University of North Texas
Department of Criminal Justice
1155 Union Circle #305130
Denton, TX 76203-5017
or via e-mail to MSCJ-Advising@unt.edu

Required courses, 12 hours

Plus 3 hours from

In addition, students must complete one of the following two courses in the core curriculum:

Thesis or non-thesis option

The degree requires each student to select a thesis or non-thesis option.

Student selecting the thesis option will be required to complete the core curriculum of 15 hours, 15 hours of electives and 6 hours of thesis. Students selecting the thesis option must have departmental consent to enroll in thesis. Students choosing the thesis option must also pass an oral examination in conjunction with a master’s thesis defense. Students selecting the non-thesis option will be required to complete the core curriculum of 15 hours and 21 hours of electives. Students choosing the non-thesis option must also pass a written comprehensive exam covering the core curriculum. All course work applied toward the Master of Science with a major in criminal justice must be at the 5000 level.

Additional information

The Department of Criminal Justice does not participate in the MA or MS in interdisciplinary studies degrees. Therefore, criminal justice cannot be an academic area within the MA or MS in interdisciplinary studies degrees.