2020-2021 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Master of Science in Criminal Justice
Website: gvsu.edu/grad/cj
The 33- to 36-credit-hour Master of Science degree in criminal justice at Grand Valley State University is designed to prepare graduate students to be criminal justice leaders, planners, practitioners, and academicians. The program's mission is to improve the criminal justice profession by producing exemplary graduates who are ethical, capable leaders and managers with a high level of knowledge, skills, and organizational wisdom. Our program also seeks to create a dynamic community of criminal justice professionals and scholars who will work in concert to critique, challenge, and advance the study and practice of criminal justice. Our faculty believes that professional education is best reinforced by concrete application of theoretical concepts. Graduate courses will provide students the opportunity to apply to their agencies or professional endeavors the skills, concepts, and knowledge acquired in the program. The result of this applied process is a bridge between theory and practice and between the classroom and the professional field.
The criminal justice curriculum encompasses applied concepts of ethics, political and social justice, historical analysis of institutions and policy, leadership and management, theories and research. The curriculum also prepares students who plan to apply to a doctoral program with appropriate theoretical, research, analytical, and critical interpretation skills.
Vision
The School of Criminal Justice educates students to become knowledgeable, competent, and ethical leaders in the criminal justice and legal professions.
Mission
To promote the growth of students through teaching, mentoring, creative scholarship, and community engagement.
Admission
To apply for the Master of Science degree in criminal justice, please note the following requirements:
- Undergraduate GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale calculated from the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.
- Three letters of recommendation (at least two are from current or former professors).
- A personal statement essay detailing academic preparation, background experiences and professional, educational and career goals for entry into a master's program in criminal justice, and any special topic areas that you would like to pursue at the master's level.
- The Graduate Committee reserves the right to require additional information it deems appropriate, including GRE test scores and writing samples. The committee may also require applicants to appear for an oral interview. The decisions of the Graduate Committee are final.
- Students who have not earned a degree in criminal justice or criminology may be required to take undergraduate criminal justice courses at the discretion of the MCJ graduate program director. Approved courses such as, introduction to criminal justice, criminology, research methods, and statistics are highly recommended.
- Applications for fall admission should be received by May 1; winter admission applications should be received by November 1.
Transfer Credit
Up to 12 hours of transfer credit may be applied to the degree program. Such credit must meet the requirements specified in the Transfer of Credit section of this catalog, be recommended as applicable to the degree program by a graduate faculty advisor, and be approved for transfer application by the MCJ graduate program director.
Dual Credit
In accordance with Grand Valley State University policy, undergraduates may enroll in some graduate courses (see prerequisites) but must have at least a 3.0 GPA, have completed 85 semester hours, and obtain permission from the MCJ graduate program director. Credit earned can be used as part of an undergraduate program or as part of a future graduate program but cannot be used for both purposes.
Program Location
The program is offered in the DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus, located in downtown Grand Rapids, MI.
Requirements for the M.S. in Criminal Justice
Students must complete a minimum of 33 to 36 graduate courses: 18-hours of core courses, and 18 hours of electives with a comprehensive examination or 12 hours of electives if completing the thesis.
Core Courses
Core of required courses consists of 18 credit hours as follows:
- CJ 600 - Qualitative Methodology (3 credits)
- CJ 601 - Criminal Justice Leadership (3 credits)
- CJ 602 - Legal and Ethical Issues (3 credits)
- CJ 604 - Criminal Justice Policy and Program Evaluation (3 credits)
- CJ 606 - Research Methodology and Data Analysis (3 credits)
- CJ 607 - Criminology (3 credits)
Electives
Choose from the following courses (18 credits if completing the comprehensive examination or 12 if completing CJ 695):
- CJ 620 - Policing and Society (3 credits)
- CJ 621 - Corrections and Punishment (3 credits)
- CJ 622 - Juvenile Justice Systems and Issues (3 credits)
- CJ 640 - Graduate Internship (3 credits)
- CJ 642 - Victimology (3 credits)
- CJ 680 - Special Topics in Criminal Justice Credits: 3
- CJ 691 - Issues in Research and Writing (3 credits)
- CJ 699 - Directed Readings (1 to 3 credits)
Students may also choose up to three credits of electives outside of the criminal justice curricula. These credits must be preapproved by the MCJ graduate program coordinator.
Comprehensive Examination or Thesis
Prerequisites
The comprehensive exam option requires students to complete 36 hours of coursework. The noncredit comprehensive exam serves as a culminating experience within the graduate program in lieu of the six-credit-hour thesis option.
The comprehensive exam is two-part: Part A (written section) can be completed after 18 credits of coursework, including: CJ 601 - Criminal Justice Leadership, CJ 606 - Research Methodology and Data Analysis, and CJ 607 - Criminology; Part B (oral section) can be completed in the last or second-to-last semester of the degree program.