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COLLEGE OF PUBLIC POLICY

DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Master of Science in Justice Policy

The Master of Science in Justice Policy (M.S. in Justice Policy) is designed to provide students with competency in policy planning and evaluation, and skills for managing justice agencies in complex and dynamic environments. The program assists students to develop and apply research expertise to the study and resolution of contemporary justice policy problems.

Program Admission Requirements. To qualify for unconditional admission, applicants must satisfy University-wide graduate admission requirements and submit all transcripts. Applicants admitted unconditionally as a degree-seeking student must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or equivalent training at a foreign institution; 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; 18 hours in criminal justice, criminology, or a closely-related discipline, or professional experience in the justice system; coursework in criminology theory, organization theory and research methods; good standing at the last institution attended; 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 coursework (CRJ 5033) or other study to remove deficiencies, is 36.

Degree candidates must complete the following requirements:

A. 15 semester credit hours of core courses

CRJ 5113 Research Methods and Quantitative Analysis
CRJ 5123 Justice Policy Formation and Implementation
CRJ 5133 Management of Justice Organizations
CRJ 6113 Advanced Research Applications
CRJ 6363 Paradigms of Justice Policy

Students are expected to complete core courses within their first 21 hours of coursework. Normally, students should enroll in CRJ 5113 and/or CRJ 5123 in their first two semesters unless these courses are not offered. Students may take CRJ 5033 up to three times to develop foundation knowledge in three key areas. Credit hours in CRJ 5033 may not be used toward the degree.

B. 9 semester credit hours of prescribed electives from the following:

CRJ 5053 History of Justice Policy Development
CRJ 5323 Program Evaluation: What Works, What Doesn’t
CRJ 6003 Decision Analysis in Criminal Justice Settings
CRJ 6103 Seminar on Topics in Theory of Crime and Justice
CRJ 6123 Seminar on Topics in Research Methods
CRJ 6203 Seminar on Topics in Corrections Policy
CRJ 6223 Ethics and the Practice of Social Control
CRJ 6303 Seminar on Topics in Policing and Crime Control
CRJ 6403 Seminar on Topics in Law, Society and Justice Policy
CRJ 6503 Applied Policy Research
CRJ 6951,3 Independent Study
CRJ 6961 Comprehensive Examination

C. 6 semester credit hours of free electives. Students may select an additional 6 hours of elective credits from outside the discipline. Outside electives must be chosen from designated courses in related UTSA graduate disciplines, following consultation with the faculty advisor. Approved free elective courses are listed in Section III, D of the Policies and Procedures for the Master of Science in Justice Policy program.

D. 6 semester credit hours of Master’s Thesis or Justice Policy Research Project. Students may enroll in the CRJ 6983,6 Justice Policy Research Project or CRJ 6993,6 Master’s Thesis after 24 semester credit hours. CRJ 6983,6 Justice Policy Research Project requires faculty supervision and approval of the final report by the Graduate Program Committee. CRJ 6993,6 Master’s Thesis requires compliance with UTSA Thesis Requirements and thesis defense. See Section IV of the Policies and Procedures for the Masters of Science in Justice Policy Program for additional information.

E. Comprehensive examination. Candidates for the Master’s degree will also be required to complete a comprehensive examination requirement. Students will be eligible to take the comprehensive examination after successfully completing 24 hours of the program. 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.

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