Criminal Justice (Juvenile Justice), M.A.

Master of Arts Degree

The minimal requirement for the M.A.in Criminal Justice (Juvenile Justice emphasis) is sixty (60) semester hours above an undergraduate degree, a law degree, or a doctorate in another academic discipline.

Required Courses (60 semester hours):

CJ 520 - Methods of Criminal Justice Research and Planning 
CJ 530 - Criminal Procedure  
CJ 533 - Evidence, Search, and Seizure  
CJ 560 - Juvenile Justice Systems  
CJ 561 - Juvenile Corrections  
CJ 563 - Family Law  
CJ 564 - Family Violence, Investigation, and Deterrence  
CJ 582 - Criminal Justice Ethics  
CJ 600 - Seminar in Theory of Criminal Justice  
CJ 625 - Applied Statistical Methods for Criminal Justice  
CJ 660 - Seminar in Juvenile Law  
CJ 698 - Thesis  

Specialty: 21 hours (Select from approved CJ, Psychology, Social Work or Sociology classes).

The Graduate School stipulates that all graduate students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination as part of the degree requirements. For those students pursuing the M.A. in Juvenile Justice, the comprehensive examination requirement as a component of the final thesis defense.

Research and Scholarly Integrity Education

All faculty holding Regular or Associate graduate faculty status, must complete CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete the CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RSIE policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page –www.usm.edu/graduate-school. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy of training information.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirement specified in the front section of this Bulletin.

Admission Requirements to the Master’s Degrees/Programs

1. Admission decisions are based on a balancing of a variety of factors. These include competitive official scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing portions of the Graduate Record Examination’s General Test and undergraduate grade point average (both overall and in criminal justice) and evidence of related field training and work experience. In addition, applicants are to submit for consideration three letters of recommendation from individuals such as professors who are able to assess their potential and ability for graduate study.
2. Applicants granted regular admission who have an undergraduate major in criminal justice, including nondegree graduate students, must have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 overall and in their criminal justice courses.
3. The school may, at its discretion, grant conditional admission to undergraduate criminal justice majors and nondegree graduate students in criminal justice with a GPA of less than 3.0 but more than 2.75 (both overall and in criminal justice courses) and a 2.5 GPA in the last 60 hours.
4. Applicants who are not criminal justice undergraduate majors, who meet all other criteria, may be granted conditional admission if the school is satisfied that their grade point average (overall and in their particular major) indicates the potential for success in the program; The student must also have at least a 2.5 GPA in the last 60 hours. Students should see the appropriate graduate advisor for requirements to achieve regular admission.
5. All prospective students with other than a criminal justice undergraduate major or strong professional training in criminal justice may be admitted conditionally after completion of twelve (12) hours of undergraduate criminal justice courses with a B or better in each course. These courses are CJ 325, CJ 330, CJ 352 and either CJ 341 or CJ 360. All such supplemental undergraduate work must be completed prior to beginning graduate coursework.
6. Students from all underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Required courses are listed below. Duplicated work is not permitted. A student may not take for graduate credit a similar course for which the student earlier received undergraduate credit of B or better. Because more qualified applications are received than can be accepted, admission to the graduate programs is very selective.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirements specified in the front section of this Bulletin.

Graduate Minor in Criminal Justice

The graduate minor in criminal justice consists of at least nine (9) hours of graduate coursework for the master’s and twelve (12) hours for the doctorate, at least six (6) hours of which must be taken at The University of Southern Mississippi for either a master’s or doctorate minor in criminal justice. Approval of the minor and the courses is at the discretion of the major advisor.