To be considered for admission into the program of study for the Criminal Justice
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 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 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 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.
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
