Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MA)

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Graduate Study at USI >> College of Liberal Arts

36 Credit hours

Students completing the Master of Arts degree (MA) in Criminal Justice will have a solid understanding of the criminal justice system, crime-related theories, and research and data analysis techniques. This knowledge will enable graduates to apply evidence-based practices and policies within their fields.

Graduate Studies Admission Criteria and Application Process

Refer to the Admission section of the bulletin for information about Graduate Studies admission criteria and the online application process.

Dual Master’s Degrees

A limited number of USI master’s programs are approved to be offered in a dual degree format, allowing students to be concurrently enrolled in both degree programs. Select requirements can be satisfied by coursework approved to apply toward both programs, allowing students the opportunity to complete both master’s degrees in a shorter timeframe. Programs approved to be offered in a dual degree format include:

Students must be admitted to both graduate programs before beginning dual degree enrollment, and the time limitation still applies. For more information about program admission and program requirements, refer to the individual academic program pages.

Required Courses (18 hours)

CRIM 601 - Criminal Justice Policy and Practice Credits: 3
CRIM 602 - Criminal Justice Administration Credits: 3
CRIM 603 - Research Methods Credits: 3 *
CRIM 604 - Quantitative Methods Credits: 3 *
CRIM 605 - Criminological Theory Credits: 3
CRIM 675 - Synthesis Credits: 3 *

Directed Electives (18 hours)

CRIM 611 - Ethics in Criminal Justice Credits: 3
CRIM 612 - Criminal Law and Procedure Credits: 3
CRIM 620 - Seminar in Corrections Credits: 3 (repeatable with topic change)
CRIM 630 - Seminar in Policing Credits: 3 (repeatable with topic change)
CRIM 640 - Special Topics in Criminal Justice Credits: 3 (repeatable with topic change)
CRIM 650 - Seminar in Criminal Courts Credits: 3 (repeatable with topic change)
CRIM 689 - Internship Credits: 1-6 (maximum of 6 credit hours)
CRIM 691 - Thesis I Credits: 3
CRIM 692 - Thesis II Credits: 3
*Students co-enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program complete 18 hours of electives as outlined below.

PLA-Portfolio Review Credit

The Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) policy allows for the granting of credit for previous experiential learning through a portfolio review. Approved hours are awarded as elective credit and are not tied to specific course numbers.

The Criminal Justice program is approved to award eligible students up to 9 hours in portfolio review credit, which can be applied toward the directed elective requirement. The student must submit a PLA portfolio after acceptance to the graduate program and prior to earning six (6) graduate credit hours at USI. Faculty with expertise in the topic will review the portfolio, and PLA credit requires approval from the program director and Director of Graduate Studies. Visit www.usi.edu/registrar/transfer-credit/prior-learning-assessment for more information.

*Students co-enrolled in the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Masters in Public Administration cannot apply Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit toward either program.

Criminal Justice/MPA Shared Coursework *

Students co-enrolled in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program can satisfy the following requirements with coursework applied to both programs:

MPA Core	PA 616 PA 617	or select CRIM 603 or select CRIM 604
MPA Capstone	PA 697	fulfilled by CRIM 675
MACJ Electives	18 hours	Select two CRIM electives (6 hours) from the list above. Three MPA core courses (9 hours) from the following list can count as MACJ electives: PA 601 , PA 606 , PA 609 , PA 632 , PA 644 , PA 645 . Select one additonal CRIM elective from the list above or select an MPA elective (3 hours) from: PA 527 , PA 564 , PA 565 , PA 611 , PA 612 , PA 614 , PA 615 , PA 616 , PA 617 , PA 631 , PA 653 , PA 655 , PA 663 , PA 664 , PA 684 .