Main Office
Chilton Hall, Room 265
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #305130
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2562
Fax: 940-565-2548
Web site: www.unt.edu/cjus
Eric J. Fritsch, Graduate Advisor
Graduate Faculty: Belshaw, Blackburn, Fritsch, Jackson, Taylor, Tobolowsky, Trulson.
Applied research projects and program evaluation studies are conducted by the Department of Criminal Justice. The department’s current research programs and interests focus on the evaluation of gang intervention units, the development of information systems in criminal justice agencies, the impact of international and domestic terrorism in the United States, the evaluation of local community policing programs, the impact of juvenile crime and laws on the criminal justice system, the investigation of patterns in juvenile homicide victimization, capital punishment, aspects of criminal victimization, and the effects of substance abuse on crime.
The Department of Criminal Justice offers a graduate program leading to the following degree:
The primary objective of the degree program is to provide students with a master’s level understanding of the nature and scope of the problems posed by crime, and the operation and administration of the agencies charged with addressing this social problem. The central goal of the Master of Science with a major in criminal justice is to improve the ability of its graduates to undertake informed and thoughtful action as direct workers, administrators, or researchers in the justice system. The program prepares students for entry-level positions in the justice system for individuals beginning their professional careers, and job advancement for those already employed in the justice system. The program also prepares students who are interested in pursuing a PhD upon completion of the master’s degree. The master’s degree in criminal justice allows each student to take a number of electives, thus permitting students to tailor their degrees to their professional and personal needs. The faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice come from a diverse range of educational and professional backgrounds, including criminal justice, law, sociology and urban studies.
All general admission requirements to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, as outlined elsewhere in this bulletin, must be fulfilled. Application must first be made to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies through the office of the graduate dean. Once the student is admitted to the graduate school, the application will be reviewed by the department for admission to the Master of Science with a major in criminal justice program. Applications are reviewed for admission in the fall or spring terms/semesters. Applications are not reviewed for summer admission.
Admission to the program leading to the Master of Science with a major in criminal justice requires satisfactory completion of at least 9 hours of undergraduate work in criminal justice. This requirement can be waived for individuals with significant experience in the criminal justice field. In addition, admission to the program leading to the Master of Science with a major in criminal justice requires satisfactory completion of at least 3 hours of upper-level course work in social science research methods.
To receive admission to the master’s degree program with a major in criminal justice, applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 on the last 60 hours of courses for the bachelor’s degree or a GPA of 2.8 on all undergraduate work. In addition, applicants must complete the verbal and analytical writing sections of the Graduate Record Exam.
In order for an application to be considered for admission, the student’s application packet needs to be completed by August 1 (for fall admission) or December 1 (for spring admission). A completed application packet includes the following:
1. application,
2. transcripts,
3. official GRE scores on file with the graduate school, and
4. personal statement.
The personal statement is sent directly to the department graduate advisor and includes an explanation of the following: career goals, why the student is pursuing a master’s degree, prior experience in the criminal justice field, prior research experience in criminal justice, and anything in the student’s personal background relevant to the admission decision.
Personal statements are sent directly to:
Eric J. Fritsch, PhD
Graduate Advisor
University of North Texas
Department of Criminal Justice
1155 Union Circle #305130
Denton, TX 76203-5017
The program requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of 36 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. The degree includes a core curriculum of 12 hours, which must be completed by all students. The following 9 hours must be completed by all students: CJUS 5000, Criminal Justice Policy; CJUS 5600, Advanced Criminological Theory; and CJUS 5700, Evaluation and Research Methodologies. In addition, students must complete one of the following two courses in the core curriculum (3 hours): CJUS 5200, Legal Aspects of the Criminal Justice System or CJUS 5500, Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration. The degree requires each student to select a thesis or non-thesis option.
Students selecting the thesis option will be required to complete the core curriculum of 12 hours, 18 hours of electives, and 6 hours of thesis. Students selecting the thesis option must have departmental consent to enroll in thesis; the satisfactory completion of CJUS 5750, Criminal Justice Statistics, is required prior to enrolling in thesis. Students choosing the thesis option must also pass an oral examination in conjunction with a master’s thesis defense.
Students selecting the non-thesis option will be required to complete the core curriculum of 12 hours and 24 hours of electives. Students choosing the non-thesis option must also pass a written comprehensive exam covering the core curriculum. All course work applied toward the Master of Science with a major in criminal justice must be at the 5000 level.
The Department of Criminal Justice also participates in a program leading to the master’s degree with a major in interdisciplinary studies, which is administered by the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. For further information about the interdisciplinary studies program, consult the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies section of this catalog or contact the Department of Criminal Justice graduate advisor.
Students in other fields may choose criminal justice for a minor. Students selecting criminal justice as a minor are required to complete 9 hours of graduate work in criminal justice.
The graduate committee in the Department of Criminal Justice will recommend withdrawal of a student from the master’s program if the student receives two course grades of C or below (for purposes of this rule, the first grade received in a course is used).
Each graduate student must receive advising from the departmental graduate advisor prior to registration each term/semester.
During the first term/semester of a master’s program, the student must submit a degree plan through the departmental graduate advisor. The degree plan must be approved by the departmental graduate advisor and the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Any degree plan change must have prior consent. A maximum of 9 hours of transfer work may be applied toward the master’s degree. The final decision on applicability of transfer work rests with the departmental graduate advisor.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The “Course and Subject Guide,” found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
Date of initial release: July 1, 2009 — Copyright © 2008 University of North Texas
Page updated:
February 23, 2010
— Comments or corrections: catalog@unt.edu
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