Criminal Justice MS

To be considered for admission into the program of study for the Criminal Justice & Criminology M.S. degree, the applicant must have earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice or a related field prior to enrollment in program coursework at UCM and earned a minimum grade point average of 3.00 on all undergraduate course work and 3.00 on all graduate coursework.  Applicants must complete an application through the Office of Graduate Studies and include a personal statement and two letters of recommendation.

A student without a criminal justice degree may be required to complete up to 15 hours of background courses in criminal justice prior to taking graduate level courses. The requirement to take background courses may be waived by the Criminal Justice & Criminology Graduate Coordinator based on previous courses taken and/or relevant professional experience.

Students with a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 to below 3.00 may be considered for admission by the Criminal Justice & Criminology Graduate Committee upon submission of an extended application.  The extended application includes:

• Criminal justice major preferred, but not required
• Cover letter explaining deficient GPA
• Writing sample based on these prompts
• Official scores on the GRE General Test (combined score Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning of 300 points and a minimal score of 4.0 on the Analytic Writing Test).

All applicants must complete an application through the Office of Graduate Studies online.

 

To be considered for admission into the Criminal Justice & Criminology M.S. degree program and to ensure available capacity, early submission of application materials is recommended. Priority consideration will be given to students who apply at the beginning of the semester prior to the anticipated enrollment term. To apply later will put students at a distinct disadvantage regarding course availability. The Criminal Justice & Criminology Graduate Committee will meet monthly to review completed applications. All applicants will be notified of their admission status via email and/or the address provided on the application. Admission decisions will be based upon the merit of the application and the available space in the program for the student.

A limited number of competitive Graduate Student Worker positions are available, for both teaching and research positions.

These positions provide opportunities for professional development in addition to ta stipend to help cover the costs of your graduate education.

Networking:

GAs in Criminal Justice get a backstage pass to all activities, trips, conferences, and visitors hosted and attended by faculty in the department.  These opportunities help you network with professional organizations and meet influential people while building your resume.

Duties:

Research GA:  The main duty of a research GA is to assist CJ faculty with their research.  GAs are the first students to be introduced to opportunities to get involved in current CJ networking and outreach projects.  Working with your professors can open doors for your career and make you competitive in the job market.

Apply:

Apply for a position as a Graduate Student Worker on the UCM Jobs website:  https://jobs.ucmo.edu/

Students are eligible to serve as a GA in any area, not only Criminal Justice & Criminology.

Thesis Manuals and Forms

Use the following forms to apply for your thesis committee and declare your prospectus and final defenses. Please be advised that a thesis typically takes two semesters to complete.

UCM Graduate School Thesis Manual

Criminal Justice & Criminology Thesis Manual

Determination of Research Form

Thesis Committee Form

Thesis/Prospectus Defense Declaration Form

Application for External Thesis Committee Member

Thesis Publication Agreement

Thesis Transmittal Form

UCM Thesis and Writing Resources

Criminal Justice & Criminology offers two scholarships for graduate students:

Bill P. Colvin Criminal Justice Scholarship:  full or part time junior, senior, or graduate student in good standing who demonstrates enthusiasm in the area of criminal justice

Allen Sapp Criminal Justice Graduate Student Scholarship: a second year graduate student pursing a degree in criminal justice with a minimum 3.25 GPA and demonstrated academic achievement and career potential