Criminal Justice
This is an archived copy of the 2022-23 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.ndsu.edu.
The Department of Criminal Justice offers graduate study leading to both a Master of Science (M.S) .and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Criminal Justice. The M.S. degree has three tracks: Applied Criminal Justice, Criminology, and the Plan C option (which is geared toward professionals working in the criminal justice system and social service agencies). The program in Criminal Justice is designed to enhance student skills in understanding, gathering, processing, and analyzing research in the areas of criminology and criminal justice. The program is geared to understanding, critiquing, and analyzing the causes of crime and the criminal justice system's responses to it. The curriculum consists of foundation courses in theory, policy, and research methods, plus three substantive areas: 1) criminology, 2) policing, and 3) corrections. Students have their choice of specializing in one of the three.
Students will also be afforded course work in learning how to teach a college course.
Graduates will find an expanding and terrific academic job market available as well as professional employment in the criminal justice policy and research sector. There are currently fewer than 40 Criminal Justice Ph.D. programs operating on a national level, so students graduating with a Criminal Justice Ph.D. will be competitive for the 350 positions available annually in academic units.
Doctor of Philosophy
Students should enter the program with an approved master's degree. Students will be required to have had one course in research methods and one course in statistics. Plus, students should have adequate background preparation or demonstrated potential in the field of criminology or criminal justice.
Students will be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and submit their undergraduate and graduate transcripts. For admission to full standing, students are required to attain a combined minimum score on the GRE of 1,000 (verbal and quantitative) (old scoring) or 300 (new scoring) and achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 over their last 60 credit hours. Students not meeting these standards will be evaluated and possibly admitted on conditional status.
A student entering the program with a master's degree would take a minimum of 60 credit hours. Students entering the program with a master's degree should submit their research thesis to the graduate committee for review. This committee would be charged with determining whether the research project is sufficient in scope and depth to warrant further supervised research.
Master of Science
Students will need to enter the program with a baccalaureate degree. Students will be required to have had one course in research methods, one course in statistics, and should document adequate background preparation or demonstrated potential in the field of criminology or criminal justice. For admission to full-standing, students are required to achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 over their last 60 credit hours.Accelerated Master's Degree in Criminal Justice
The accelerated master’s program allows exceptional undergraduate criminal justice students to complete their master’s degree in three semesters beyond the bachelor’s degree.
ADMISSION PROCESS: Upon completion of 60 undergraduate credit hours, eligible Criminal Justice majors can apply to the accelerated master’s program. A minimum GPA of 3.5 for the Criminal Justice major, an overall cumulative GPA of 3.5, and successful completion of CJ 325 (Applied Research Methods) are required prior to admission to the program. Students may apply while enrolled in CJ 325, but must earn a minimum grade of “B” prior to beginning graduate coursework. Interested students may apply by completing an application on the NDSU graduate school website (www.ndsu.edu/graduateschool), requesting at least two letters of recommendation from faculty or instructors, and submitting a statement of intent explaining why the applicant wants to pursue a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. Interested students should apply early in the criminal justice program as credits from completed 400 level courses cannot be retroactively applied to the accelerated master’s program.
COURSES: Once admitted to the Accelerated Master’s program, students will take four 400/600 level courses (CJ 606 Crime and Delinquency; CJ 607 Deviant Behavior; CJ 660 Criminal Court System, and CJ 661 Corrections) to fulfill the requirements for their Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and also receiving credit toward a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. Students enrolling in these courses at the 600 level can expect additional reading and writing beyond expectations for students completing these courses for 400 level credit. Students are required to earn a minimum of a “B” in order for the course to count toward the master’s degree. Students failing to earn a “B” in any of the 400/600 cross-listed courses will be allowed to repeat the course once.. Students receiving anything below a “B” in a retaking of a 400/600 level course will be removed from the program and will not be allowed to re-apply for admission into the accelerated program or the traditional master’s program. Transfer credits from courses completed at other universities are not accepted for the accelerated master’s program. Upon successful completion of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree, students will begin taking 700 level graduate courses.
Doctor of Philosophy
Students admitted to the doctoral program who have earned a master’s degree in criminal justice/criminology will be given credit for their master’s degree (up to 30 credits) and must take a minimum of 60 credits at NDSU. The amount of credit for the master’s degree will be determined by the graduate program coordinator.
Students entering with a master's degree that is not related to criminal justice/criminology must have a total must complete 90 credits post-baccalaureate.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Theory/Policy | 9 | |
| Advanced Criminology | ||
| Criminal Justice Policy | ||
| Introduction to College Teaching in the Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Research Skills (at least 9 of these credits must be completed at NDSU) | 15 | |
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Advanced Criminal Justice Methods | ||
| Advanced Research Design in Criminal Justice | ||
| Applied Statistics | ||
| Applied Regression and Analysis of Variance | ||
| Substantive Areas (Students must complete four courses in a substantive area of choice. Additionally, students must complete one course in each of their non-substantive areas. | 18 | |
| Criminology | ||
| Individual Theories of Crime | ||
| Structural Theories of Crime | ||
| Violence | ||
| Crime and the Life Course | ||
| Corrections | ||
| Juvenile Corrections | ||
| Issues in Institutional Corrections | ||
| Community Corrections | ||
| Correctional Rehabilitation | ||
| Punishment and Society | ||
| Policing | ||
| Police and Society | ||
| Criminal Justice Leadership and Administration | ||
| Police and Race Issues | ||
| Police Effectiveness | ||
| Classics in Policing | ||
| **Electives/Independent Study (Students should consult with their advisor as to other potentially appropriate electives. Below are example courses.) | 15 | |
| Gender and Justice | ||
| Individual Study | ||
| Experimental Methods | ||
| Experimental Social Psychology | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Applied Survey Sampling | ||
| Meta-Analysis Methods | ||
| CJ 899 | Doctoral Dissertation | 12 |
| Total Credits | 60-90 | |
| ** | 36 credits for for students entering the program with a master's degree that is not related to criminal justice/criminology |
Master of Science
Students will need to declare their choice of a track by the end of their first semester in the program.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Foundation Courses (STAT 725 not required for Plan C) | 12-15 | |
| Advanced Criminology | ||
| Criminal Justice Policy | ||
| Advanced Criminal Justice Methods | ||
| Advanced Research Design in Criminal Justice | ||
| Applied Statistics | ||
| Electives (Plan A-9 , Plan B-12, Plan C-15) | 9-15 | |
| Corrections | ||
| Juvenile Corrections | ||
| Issues in Institutional Corrections | ||
| Community Corrections | ||
| Correctional Rehabilitation | ||
| Punishment and Society | ||
| Policing | ||
| Police and Society | ||
| Police and Race Issues | ||
| Police Effectiveness | ||
| Classics in Policing | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Individual Theories of Crime | ||
| Structural Theories of Crime | ||
| Crime and the Life Course | ||
| Violence | ||
| Gender and Justice | ||
| Other Electives | ||
| Crime and Delinquency | ||
| Deviant Behavior | ||
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Criminal Justice Leadership and Administration | ||
| Managing Liability and Risk in Criminal Justice | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Master's Thesis / Policy Paper /Culminating Experience | ||
| CJ 798 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| CJ 797 | Master's Paper | 3 |
| CJ 793 | Individual Study (with culuminating project) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Carol Archbold, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2002
Research Interests: Policing (accountability/reform, liability, misconduct, and risk management), Race and Gender in the Criminal Justice System
Jeffrey Bumgarner, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 2000
Research Interests: Policing, Federal Law Enforcement, Federal Crime Policy, and Criminal Justice Administration
Andrew Myer, Ph.D.
University of Cincinnati, 2010
Research Interests: Effective Correctional Interventions, Evidence Based Program Evaluation, Actuarial Offender Risk Assessment Practices, and Macro-Social Research Methods
Amy J. Stichman, Ph.D.
University of Cincinnati, 2003
Research Interests: Corrections, Institutional Life, Inmate and Correctional Officer Attitudes, Treatment Program Evaluation, Gender Issues
Kevin M. Thompson, Ph.D.
University of Arizona, 1986
Research Interests: Delinquency, Quantitative Methods, Alcohol and Drugs, Juvenile Drug Courts