DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Master of Science in Justice Policy
The Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Justice Policy is designed to provide students with competency in policy planning, evaluation, criminal justice agency management, and preparation for continued graduate study in criminal justice and criminology. The program assists students to develop and apply research expertise toward resolution of contemporary justice practice and policy issues.
Program Admission Requirements. To qualify for unconditional admission, applicants must satisfy University-wide graduate admission requirements and submit all transcripts and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores as well as two letters of recommendation and a personal statement. An applicant admitted unconditionally as a degree-seeking student must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or equivalent training at a foreign institution; have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate work as well as all previous graduate work; have 18 hours in criminal justice, criminology, or a closely-related discipline, or professional experience in the justice system; be in good standing at the last institution attended; have a valid GRE test score and the recommendation of the Justice Policy Graduate Admissions Committee. Students who do not meet these criteria may be admitted conditionally or on probation as degree-seeking depending on the nature of the deficiency. Admission as a special student may be considered by the Admissions Committee upon request of the applicant.
Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree, exclusive of other study to remove deficiencies, is 36.
Degree candidates must complete the following requirements:
- 15 semester credit hours of core courses:
CRJ 5073 Research Methods
CRJ 5083 Quantitative Analysis
CRJ 5123 Justice Policy Formation and Implementation
CRJ 5133 Management of Justice Organizations
CRJ 6373 Crime Theory and Justice Policy
Students are expected to complete the majority of core courses prior to enrolling in elective courses. Normally, students should enroll in CRJ 5073 Research Methods and/or CRJ 5123 Justice Policy Formation and Implementation in their first two semesters, or as soon as offered thereafter.
-
15 semester credit hours of electives as follows: at least 9 semester credit hours of prescribed electives should be taken from the required list below and up to 6 semester credit hours of free electives may be taken outside of the discipline in related UTSA graduate programs with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR).
CRJ 5323 Criminal Justice Program Evaluation
CRJ 6103 Seminar on Topics in Theory of Crime and Justice
CRJ 6113 Advanced Research Applications
CRJ 6123 Seminar on Topics in Research Methods
CRJ 6203 Seminar on Topics in Corrections Policy
CRJ 6213 Gender Issues in the Criminal Justice System
CRJ 6223 Ethics and the Practice of Social Control
CRJ 6233 Minorities in the Criminal Justice System
CRJ 6303 Seminar on Topics in Policing and Crime Control
CRJ 6353 Jury Trials in American Jurisprudence
CRJ 6363 Paradigms of Justice Policy
CRJ 6403 Seminar on Topics in Law, Society and Justice Policy
CRJ 6951,3 Independent Study
CRJ 6961 Comprehensive Examination
- 6 semester credit hours of Master’s Thesis or Justice Policy Research Project. Students may enroll in CRJ 6983,6 Justice Policy Research Project or CRJ 6991,3,6 Master’s Thesis after 24 credit hours. CRJ 6983,6 Justice Policy Research Project requires faculty supervision and approval of the final report by the Graduate Studies Committee. To enroll in 1 semester credit hour of Master’s Thesis, a student must have already completed 6 semester credit hours in that course. CRJ 6991,3,6 Master’s Thesis requires compliance with UTSA thesis requirements and thesis defense. See Section IV of the Policies and Procedures of the Master of Science in Justice Policy Program for additional information.
- Comprehensive examination. Degree candidates are required to pass an oral or written comprehensive examination. The examination may be administered in the form of a presentation of the thesis or policy research project paper to a faculty committee. Candidates for the Master’s degree may complete the comprehensive examination requirement in a successful proposal submission. Students must register for one semester credit hour of Comprehensive Examination for the semester in which the examination is to be taken, if they are not enrolled in other courses. See Section IV of Policies and Procedures of the Master of Science in Justice Policy Program for additional information.
