Master's in Criminal Justice Requirements

Admission Requirements

In addition to the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the following requirements must be met by all applicants:

1. A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or allied field from an accredited college or university.
2. A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all undergraduate coursework.
3. Submit a resume.
4. Submit a personal statement for evaluation describing academic and professional accomplishments; reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in Criminal Justice Studies; and any additional information the applicant would like the admissions committee to know.
5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Outstanding applicants are evaluated on an individual basis and those with limited backgrounds in fields related to criminal justice but a distinguished record in another discipline, or a lower cumulative GPA but an otherwise strong application, may be accepted in a qualified or provisional status.

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's (ABM) Admission Requirements

The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (ABM) 4+1 Program allows exceptional undergraduate students at UND an opportunity to complete the requirements for the B.S. in Criminal Justice Studies and a M.S. in Criminal Justice Studies at an accelerated pace. All requirements for both degrees must be met, and students may double count up to 12 graduate-level credits toward the requirements for both their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. ABM students must obtain their master's degree within 12 months of completing the bachelor's degree.

Prospective students should work with the department’s Graduate Director prior to applying for the accelerated program to determine the 12 graduate-level credits that double count toward both degrees and establish a program of study that ensures all courses can be completed during the required time frame.  Some graduate-level courses may be substituted for undergraduate course requirements (e.g., CJ 502 may replace CJ 330; other graduate courses may replace undergraduate electives).

Undergraduate research methods and statistics courses should be completed before taking graduate level research methods and statistics/data visualization courses.  This may require completion of those undergraduate courses no later than the junior undergraduate year or senior undergraduate year (depending on which fall semester is in an odd-numbered year), given the scheduled rotation for CJ 503 and CJ 504.  Careful planning with the department’s Graduate Director about course sequencing is advised.

The following are minimum eligibility requirements for the 4+1 program:

1. At least 60 credits toward the bachelor’s degree at the time of application.
2. At least one year remaining towards the bachelor’s degree upon joining the program.
3. Completion of the first four introduction courses in the curriculum for the undergraduate major (CJ 201, CJ 210, CJ 220, CJ 270) or transfer equivalents.
4. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.00 across the first four introduction courses in the curriculum for the undergraduate major (CJ 201, CJ 210, CJ 220, CJ 270) or transfer equivalents.
5. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.00 for all undergraduate work at the time of application.
6. A program of study approved by the Graduate Director.
7. All other applicable requirements specified above – including the resume, personal statement, and other criteria established by UND’s School of Graduate Studies.

Joint MSCJS/JD Admission Requirements

The joint Master of Science in Criminal Justice Studies (MSCJS)/Juris Doctorate (JD) degree program will enable a student to receive the two degrees upon completion of 81 law credit hours and 24 MSCJS credit hours. The School of Law thus accepts 9 credit hours of MSCJS coursework that will be applicable toward the JD Degree, and the MSCJS program accepts 6 credit hours of JD courses toward the electives requirement of the MSCJS degree.

Admission is a competitive process. The following are minimum eligibility requirements:

1. Students are required to apply to both the Law School and the School of Graduate Studies. Admission recommendations will be made to the School of Graduate Studies by the Graduate Director of the Department of Criminal Justice and approved by the Graduate Dean. The Law School Admissions Committee will determine admission into the Law School.
2. Students pursuing a JD degree and wishing to add the MSCJS degree must do so no later than the fourth semester of the JD program.
3. Admission requirements of each program will remain the same in the joint admission process as is currently required to be admitted into each program.

Degree Requirements

1. Complete a minimum of 30 credit hours.
2. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level.
3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours may be transferred from another institution. 
4. Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Required Core Courses (15 credits)

Thesis or Non-Thesis Option (15 credits)

• Thesis students successfully prepare and defend a Thesis (CJ 998 Thesis; 6 credits) and take 9 credits of electives. 
• Non-Thesis students successfully complete a Scholarly Project (CJ 995 Scholarly Project; 3 credits) and take 12 credits of electives.

Thesis students choose 9 credits from the following electives. Non-thesis students choose 12 credits from the following electives. CJ 540 and CJ 545 are repeatable to 9 credits when the course is differently subtitled. For example, topics related to policy will vary (e.g., with semesters focusing on Policing, Corrections, etc.).

 

Students can substitute other graduate-level courses or 400-level courses approved for graduate credit if prerequisites are met or with permission from the instructor. Electives may include courses in other departments/programs, such as Psychology, Education Foundations and Research, Counseling, and Political Science and Public Administration, among others. They must be courses appropriate for the student's interests and program of study, chosen in consultation with the student's Advisory Committee/Graduate Director.