M.S. in Criminal Justice Admissions Criteria

The applicant must possess an appropriate Baccalaureate Degree in the social sciences from an accredited college or university. Those who do not have an appropriate Baccalaureate degree will be required to take undergraduate classes as a prerequisite to admission. The required undergraduate-level classes will be determined by the Director after transcript evaluation and a personal interview. Students applying to the Criminal Justice Graduate Program should have some basic foundational classes in criminal justice, sociology, psychology, and political science (at least 30 credits). Applicants with a social science background and no foundation in criminal justice may be required to take an undergraduate CRJ course, with permission from the Graduate Program Director to enter the program.

Applicants must submit an official transcript of all undergraduate and graduate work.

Only credit from institutions that are accredited by their regional higher education body will be accepted for transfer into the Graduate Criminal Justice Program. No more than six hours of transfer credits are accepted at the Master's degree level, and the student must have attained a grade of "B" or better in those classes. There are no waivers of credit. No academic credit is awarded by the Criminal Justice Graduate Program for life experience or for military, police academy, or other professional training.

Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.0 for matriculation. However, applicants with less than a 3.0 GPA may be admitted at the discretion of the Program Director on a probationary status. If the student cannot maintain a 3.0 for the first six (6) credits, the student will be dismissed from the Program.

Applicants must submit at least three (3) letters of recommendation. Additionally, all applicants are required to participate in a personal interview with the Program Director.

The maximum time to complete the Master's degree is five (5) years.

Note: The Graduate Program in Criminal Justice reserves the right to make necessary changes in programs and courses in response to regulations received from the New York State Department of Education or other certification bodies. These changes will become effective according to dates specified by the New York State Education Department or by a certification body. Students are responsible for adhering to all program requirements.