Master of Science in Criminal Justice

The Department of Criminal Justice offers graduate study leading to both a Master of Science (M.S) .and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Criminal Justice. The M.S. degree has three tracks: Applied Criminal Justice, Criminology, and the Plan C option (which is geared toward professionals working in the criminal justice system and social service agencies). The program in Criminal Justice is designed to enhance student skills in understanding, gathering, processing, and analyzing research in the areas of criminology and criminal justice. The program is geared to understanding, critiquing, and analyzing the causes of crime and the criminal justice system's responses to it. The curriculum consists of foundation courses in theory, policy, and research methods, plus three substantive areas: 1) criminology, 2) policing, and 3) corrections. Students have their choice of specializing in one of the three.

Students will need to enter the program with a baccalaureate degree. Students will be required to have had one course in research methods, one course in statistics, and should document adequate background preparation or demonstrated potential in the \ufb01eld of criminology or criminal justice. For admission to full-standing, students are required to achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 over their last 60 credit hours.ADMISSION PROCESS: Upon completion of 60 undergraduate credit hours, eligible Criminal Justice majors can apply to the accelerated master\u2019s program. A minimum GPA of 3.5 for the Criminal Justice major, an overall cumulative GPA of 3.5, and successful completion of CJ 325 (Applied Research Methods) are required prior to admission to the program. Students may apply while enrolled in CJ 325, but must earn a minimum grade of \u201cB\u201d prior to beginning graduate coursework. Interested students may apply by completing an application on the NDSU graduate school website (www.ndsu.edu/graduateschool), requesting at least two letters of recommendation from faculty or instructors, and submitting a statement of intent explaining why the applicant wants to pursue a master\u2019s degree in Criminal Justice. Interested students should apply early in the criminal justice program as credits from completed 400 level courses cannot be retroactively applied to the accelerated master\u2019s program