Criminal Justice Management and Administration, M.A.

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Major Code: 5631

The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Management and Administration degree program is designed to meet Oklahoma’s needs for graduate education in the area of criminal justice management and administration. The curriculum provides those individuals who have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or a related field, are presently employed in a criminal justice environment, or want to work in the field of criminal justice an opportunity to advance their skills and knowledge to qualify them for specialized job opportunities in the area of criminal justice. The curriculum also encourages the development of the student’s critical, analytical, and creative abilities related to the subject area. This is accomplished by the development of research skills, class work, and out-of-class projects and practicums.

Contacts

Graduate Advisor: Dr. Chunghyeon Seo
Email: cseo@uco.edu
Office: COM 115B
Phone: 405 - 974 - 5617

Admission Requirements

Submit the following items to:

Jackson College of Graduate Studies

100 N. University Drive, NUC 404
Edmond, OK 73034

Online application for admission (www.uco.edu/graduate/).
Official copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts from each institution attended with all degrees posted. All transcripts must be from accredited institutions.
Undergraduate transcripts must show a minimum of six undergraduate hours with an earned grade of “C” or higher as follows: CJ 4113 Research Methods in CJ or CJ 4043 Intro to CJ Statistics and SOC 3633 Criminology, OR CJ 3633 Criminology.
To be admitted, students must meet at least one of the following criteria.*
- A 2.75 GPA overall or 3.00 GPA in the last 60 hours attempted.
- A GRE minimum score of 150 Verbal and 145 Quantitative and a 5 or better on the writing exam of the GRE
- Possess a master’s degree from an accredited university/college with an overall GPA of 3.00.
Students falling below this standard may qualify for conditional admission. See Admission to Graduate Studies section.
A two-page statement of purpose for obtaining this degree and a writing sample as directed by the graduate program advisor.
One letter of recommendation from an academic professional. Letters of recommendation are requested through the online application portal.
Students with a native language other than English must submit evidence of English language proficiency. See Admission to Graduate Studies - English Language Proficiency.

*Students falling below these standards may qualify for conditional admission. See Admission to Graduate Studies .

Other Requirements

Plan of Study. Each student must file a plan of study with his/ her graduate program advisor and the Jackson College of Graduate Studies (JCGS) by the end of the first semester of graduate work. The plan must be signed and dated by the student and the graduate program advisor before it can be considered official.
Academic Standards. Meet the following coursework standards:
- Overall GPA of 3.00 or higher.
- No more than six hours of “C”.
- No more than six advisor-approved hours from traditional correspondence courses.
Final Requirements. Apply for graduation through the JCGS by the advertised deadline.

Graduation Requirements

Required Courses: 15 Hours

Electives: 21 Hours

All students must select either the Thesis or Comprehensive Examination Option.

Thesis Option

Fifteen hours from the following areas: business, computer science, criminal justice, psychology, political science, sociology, substance abuse studies or other courses approved by advisor.
Thesis option: Complete an acceptable thesis and successfully defend it in public. Send two paper copies and one electronic copy of the thesis to the library through Proquest, and submit the thesis’ title page, original signature page, summary and abstract page to the JCGS.

Non-Thesis Option

Twenty-one hours from the following areas: business, computer science, criminal justice, psychology, political science, sociology, substance abuse studies or other courses approved by advisor.
Comprehensive Examination: A minimum score of 75% overall is required on a comprehensive examination. The student may take the comprehensive exam twice without penalty. If the student fails the comprehensive exam the second time, additional coursework may be required by the advisor before the student is allowed to take the comprehensive examination again. Students have a maximum of two years after completion of all other degree requirements to satisfactorily score the minimum required on the comprehensive exam. Alteration of this time limitation is not guaranteed.

TOTAL HOURS REQUIRED: 36 HOURS

Accelerated Degree Pathway: BA to MA

Students accepted to the undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice:

Police may apply to take up to nine hours of approved 5000-level Criminal Justice courses during the senior year of their bachelor’s degree. The courses will count toward both the B.A. in Criminal Justice - Police and the M.A. in Criminal Justice Management and Administration. Any 5000-level course in Criminal Justice with an undergraduate counterpart may be counted with the approval of the graduate director. During the last semeter of the junior year, undergraduate students with a 3.0 overall GPA may apply for admission to the Accelerated Degree Program.
Corrections and Transformative Justice may apply to take up to nine hours of approved 5000-level Criminal Justice courses during the senior year of their bachelor’s degree. The courses will count toward both the B.A. in Criminal Justice - Corrections and Transformative Justice and the M.A. in Criminal Justice Management and Administration. Any 5000-level course in Criminal Justice with an undergraduate counterpart may be counted with the approval of the graduate director. During the last semeter of the junior year, undergraduate students with a 3.0 overall GPA may apply for admission to the Accelerated Degree Program.
General Criminal Justice may apply to take up to nine hours of approved 5000-level Criminal Justice courses during the senior year of their bachelor’s degree. The courses will count toward both the B.A. in Criminal Justice - General Criminal Justice and the M.A. in Criminal Justice Management and Administration. Any 5000-level course in Criminal Justice with an undergraduate counterpart may be counted with the approval of the graduate director. During the last semeter of the junior year, undergraduate students with a 3.0 overall GPA may apply for admission to the Accelerated Degree Program.

Accelerated Degree Pathway (ADP) Requirements