Master of Science in Criminal Justice
The Program
At the master’s level, our mission is the development of research skills, and expansion of the conceptual and practical knowledge critical for leaders in criminal justice or in the social services. We fulfill this mission in several ways:
- Low student-faculty ratio allows personal academic and career advising, and ensures enough different courses are offered to meet your needs
- Diverse research opportunities equip you to pursue specific interests
- Strong employer network gives you an edge in job searching
- Thorough preparation for Ph.D. programs
Program Admission
Admission to the program is competitive and is not automatic upon meeting minimum departmental admission requirements. Students are selected from the pool of qualified applicants for the program, and the number of students admitted to the program yearly is dependent upon availability of financial aid and adequate faculty supervision.
The GRE test is required for all applicants. GPA of 3.0 required for regular admission. GPA of 2.5 and GRE of 1000 required for conditional admission. An admission test waiver will be considered if the applicant has at least 5 years of full-time post-baccalaureate work experience in the field of criminal justice. Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Meeting the work-experience criterion will not result in a waiver of the GRE unless the admissions committee is satisfied that the candidate has otherwise evidenced the academic and professional qualifications necessary for success in the program.
Application deadlines for:
Fall semester: February 15(First review)
May 15(Final Review)
Spring semester: October 15
For full consideration, all application materials must be received by the deadlines. Admission offers for Fall are made by March/May, and for Spring in November of each year. Admission for the summer session is not considered.
To be considered for admission, the applicant must:
1. Submit an application to the Graduate School
2. Submit three letters of recommendation directly to the Department of Criminal Justice
Application forms
The application forms are available online: http://graduate.ua.edu/applicants.html
Materials to submit to Graduate Admissions include:
- Your application and fee
- Your academic transcripts
- Test scores from the GRE
- A statement of purpose for graduate study describing your interest in Criminal Justice and your career plans. This letter should be no more than one typed single-spaced page in length.
Items to Department of Criminal Justice
Additional materials to be sent directly to the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Criminal Justice include:
- Submit three letters of recommendation to the department. Either ask these persons to send a letter directly to the department, or ask him/her to seal the letter in an envelope and to sign across the back of the seal of the envelope. You may then mail these letters directly to the department at the following address:
Dr. David Forde
Graduate Program Director
Department of Criminal Justice
The University of Alabama
432-C Farrah Hall
Box 870320
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0320
Departmental Contact Information
Department of Criminal Justice
University of Alabama
Box 870320
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0320
Email: cjdept@cj.as.ua.edu
Tel: (205) 348-7795
Fax: (205) 348-7178
Degree Requirements
The graduate program in Criminal Justice includes a thesis or a nonthesis option. Under both options, the student has considerable latitude to design a program to fit particular needs. All entering students must specify one of the two options during the second semester of academic work. Both options have core courses, including criminological theory, research in the criminal justice process, and applications of statistics in criminal justice.
Up to 6 hours of approved coursework may be transferred from other universities. Up to 6 hours of approved coursework may be taken in other departments at The University of Alabama and may be applied to the degree when it is consistent with the student's degree plan. The department does not accept 400-level courses toward degree requirements for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice.
All requirements for the master's degree must be completed during the six years (18 fall, spring, and summer semesters) immediately preceding the date on which the degree is to be awarded.
M.S. in Criminal Justice, thesis option. This option requires a total of 30 credit hours including 9 of core requirements, 6 for thesis research, and 15 for elective courses. CJ 599 should be taken after core requirements have been completed.
Students must pass public oral defense of the thesis. Thesis students must also pass a written and/or oral comprehensive examination (ordinarily done during the thesis defense).
M.S. in Criminal Justice, nonthesis option. This option requires a total of 33 credit hours including 9 of core requirements, and 24 for elective courses. Nonthesis students must also pass a written and/or oral comprehensive examination based on the content of the degree program (ordinarily done after the completion of 18 hours of coursework).
The application for admission to candidacy for the master's degree should be filed after 12 semester hours of graduate credit have been earned at The University of Alabama. It must be approved by the time of registration for the semester in which requirements for the degree are completed. Each candidate for a master's degree must apply for graduation through the Office of the Graduate School no later than the registration period for the semester or the first session of the summer term in which requirements for the degree are to be completed.
Summary Degree Requirement
Thesis option
Core Course Requirements Hours
CJ 581 Application of Statistics in Criminal Justice 3
CJ 584 Seminar in Criminological Theory 3
CJ 586 Research in the Criminal Justice Process 3
CJ 599 Thesis Research in Criminal Justice 6
Comprehensive Exam 0
Electives 15
Total Hours 30
Non-thesis option
Core Course Requirements Hours
CJ 581 Application of Statistics in Criminal Justice 3
CJ 584 Seminar in Criminological Theory 3
CJ 586 Research in the Criminal Justice Process 3
Comprehensive Exam 0
Electives 24
Total Hours 33
Course Descriptions
CJ 503 Organized Crime. Three hours.
Focus on organized crime in the United States and examination of organized crime groups around the world.
CJ 504 Health and Crime. Three hours.
The health consequences of social deviance and the impact of criminalization for individual and societal wellbeing. Seminar discussions cover the criminalization of mental and physical illness and illnesses arising from criminal behavior and incarceration.
CJ 510 Seminar in Community Corrections. Three hours.
Development, organization, operation, and evaluation of community corrections systems as intermediate sanctions and alternatives to incarceration.
CJ 520 Seminar in Current Law Enforcement Problems. Three hours.
Analysis of selected areas of law enforcement. Emphasis is on currently developing trends.
CJ 530 Seminar in Criminal Justice Organization and Management. Three hours.
Application of organizational and administrative principles in law enforcement, court, and correctional settings. Assessment of trends and theories.
CJ 540 Seminar in Juvenile Delinquency. Three hours.
The nature and extent of delinquency; competing explanatory models and theories. Evaluation of control and treatment modalities.
CJ 550 Seminar in the Judicial Process and Social Policy. Three hours.
Examination of the American legal system from a political science and socio-legal perspective. Seminar covers the "rights revolution," the process of dispute settlement, judicial decision making, public opinion and the courts, and the United States Supreme Court.
CJ 570 Seminar in Correctional Policy. Three hours.
Examines the historical and contemporary policy trends in institutional and community corrections.
CJ 581 Application of Statistics in Criminal Justice. Three hours.
An evaluation of specific statistical methods for quantitative and nonquantitative analyses, concentrating on proper applications and interpretations in criminal justice settings.
CJ 584 Seminar in Criminological Theory. Three hours.
Examination of classical, neoclassical, positive, and social-defense theories of criminality and their interrelation with the broader problems of crime control. Offered spring semester.
CJ 586 Research in the Criminal Justice Process. Three hours.
Prepares the student to develop and to implement basic research designs. Offered fall semester.
CJ 590 Special Topics in Criminal Justice. Three hours.
Offers an opportunity for faculty and students to explore in depth topics of contemporary interest that are not generally covered in the standard courses. Course content will vary from section to section.
CJ 591 Practicum in Research and Program Evaluation. Three to six hours.
Allows students to develop and implement an evaluation of an innovative or existing program in criminal justice, with faculty guidance.
CJ 592 Independent Study. Three hours.
Research under faculty supervision in any area of interest to the student. Content may not relate to thesis or policy and practice project.
CJ 599 Thesis Research in Criminal Justice. One to six hours. Pass/fail.
Research may be directed by any member of the faculty who accepts responsibility for supervising the thesis.
Graduate Program Links
Graduate Handbook 2009
Graduate Catalog
Graduate School Site
