Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission into the Master of Arts degree program in Criminology and Criminal Justice must meet the admission requirements of Graduate Programs. The specific program requirements are as follows. The student must have:

• BA or BS in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or other closely related field.
• A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or a minimum of 3.0 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work completed.
• A minimum grade of B in the following undergraduate courses, or their recognized equivalents:
  • CRIM 3263, Criminology
  • SOC 3383, Social Statistics
  • SOC 4293, Methods of Social Research

Required Application Materials and Documents

• CV/Resume.
• Transcripts from all degree-awarding colleges and universities. (Unofficial transcripts may be submitted initially; official transcripts will be required upon admission and enrollment.)
• Statement of purpose that describes the applicant’s career and academic goals.
• Two letters of recommendation from instructors or employers who are acquainted with the applicant’s qualifications.
• No GRE required.

For an introduction to the A-State Graduate school and other useful information, please visit the Graduate Admissions site. For students outside the US, please refer to the information on the international section of the Admissions site (academic criteria and English Proficiency Requirements, etc.)

Admissions are competitive.

Application deadlines: Priority deadlines for admission and for consideration for graduate as­sistantship are April 1 (for Fall admission); October 1 (for Spring admission).

Requirements for the Degree

A minimum of eighteen (18) hours for the degree must be in courses numbered at the 6000 level. Up to six hours (6) may be taken outside of the department. All students must complete a thesis or non-thesis option for the degree. Students electing to complete a thesis may take six (6) hours of CRIM 670V - Thesis , with the consent of the overseeing faculty member, in lieu of a corresponding number of hours of elective courses. (Note: Receipt of credit for thesis hours is contingent upon successful completion and defense of the thesis.) Students electing to take the non-thesis option will take comprehensive exams after earning a minimum of eighteen (18) hours in the program, including CRIM 6523 - Seminar in Criminal Behavior  and CRIM 6343 - Methods of Social Research .