College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: crimjust [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: https://criminaljustice.indiana.edu/

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy

Program Information

The department offers the opportunity for multidisciplinary graduate degrees in criminal justice that are designed for students coming from a variety of academic backgrounds. Courses and programs in the department prepare students for academic positions, and for research, administrative and policy careers in the criminal justice system and related civil justice and private sector organizations.

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Master of Arts Degree Admission Requirements

Applicants for our online Master’s Program will find application and related information at online.iu.edu. Students interested in pursuing the doctoral degree in our department should apply directly to our Ph.D. program and not start by first applying to our online Master’s Program.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree Admission Requirements

Applicants for our doctoral program must submit the following: (1) an official post- secondary transcript from all colleges and universities previously attended; (2) a 300- to 500-word statement of academic and professional goals; (3) scores from the verbal, quantitative, and writing sections of the GRE; (4) evidence of potential for success in graduate work, as attested by letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant’s academic performance; two of the applicant’s three letters must be from faculty members; and (5) an international TOEFL if you are foreign student. The department’s Committee on Graduate Studies (hereafter CGS) may waive this last requirement if you have received a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from a recognized U.S. institution.

Course Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires a total of 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Eighteen of these hours must include: P501 and P502 (Proseminars in Criminal Justice); P594 (Introduction to Research Methods); STAT S501 (Statistical Methods I: Introduction to Statistics) or an equivalent course approved by the CGS; STAT-S 503 (Statistical Methods II: Generalized Linear Models and Categorical Data) or an equivalent course approved by the CGS, or a qualitative methods course approved by the student’s Advisory Committee; and a 3 hour course that serves as an additional research tool for the student’s chosen focus in the program and is approved by the student's Advisory Committee (e.g., an additional advanced course in statistics or research methods, or in a language that allows the student to pursue research with foreign nationals or research in another country). An additional 30 hours must come from courses within the department. Although it is not encouraged, if a student has a strong interest in a course (or courses) from another department (or departments) that address their core criminal justice focus, the student may substitute that course (or courses) for department classes with the approval of their Advisory Committee. Finally, a student must have at least one minor area from outside the department and meet the requirements of that department for its minor, and up to 30 dissertation credit hours.

Qualifying Examination

All doctoral students are expected to demonstrate basic proficiency by passing a qualifying examination following completion of required courses. This written examination may take a variety of forms and must demonstrate the student's ability to successfully engage in dissertation research. An oral defense is required. The written exam and the oral defense are evaluated as a combined effort.

Dissertation Proposal

Final Examination

Oral defense of the dissertation is required.

Ph.D. Minor in Criminal Justice

Students from other departments or schools who want to minor in Criminal Justice should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies on the selection of a faculty advisor or advisors. At least 12 credit hours of department courses is required.