Criminal Justice, M.S.

Required Courses

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The required courses provide a strong background in the justice system, criminological theory, legal issues, statistics, and research methods. Students take 15 credit hours in required courses.

Elective Courses

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The elective courses provide concentrations and expertise in a variety of specialized areas. A student is required to complete 15 or 18 credit hours from the elective course offerings, depending upon whether he or she chooses to complete the thesis or non-thesis option of the capstone experience. The selection of elective courses will depend on the student’s needs in terms of academic and career goals, and must be made in consultation with and approved by the department’s Director of Graduate Studies through an approved Program of Study (described below). Students not in the Public Administration Track (described below) can take no more than six credit hours or two courses outside of regularly scheduled department courses. Students in the Public Administration Track are required to take 12 credit hours or four courses offered by the Department of Public Management and Policy.

Students interested in completing an internship (CRJU 6940 ) with a criminal justice agency or related organization for professional development and growth must obtain approval from the Director of Graduate Studies the semester prior to the intended internship placement. Internship credit requires the completion of 180 hours of field work. As part of the internship approval process, students are required to submit an agenda to the Director of Graduate Studies specifying (i) the placement agency/organization and contact person, (ii) the student’s expected roles, tasks, and responsibilities, and (iii) a description of the final course paper or project. Interested students are encouraged to seek internship information and opportunities from University Career Services (http://co-op.gsu.edu) and AYSPS career resources (career.aysps.gsu.edu/current-students/).

Capstone Experience

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The capstone experience functions as an integrative experience and provides students with a choice of activities designed to enhance their knowledge of criminal justice and the research process to prepare them for entry into a doctoral program or a professional career. All master’s students will be required to complete a capstone experience during the latter part of their degree program. All students will complete either a thesis or capstone seminar for their capstone experience:

Thesis Research (CRJU 8990 ). Thesis research includes individual study of a selected research problem in criminal justice or criminology under the direction of an approved thesis chair and committee. The thesis must represent high standards of scholarly inquiry, technical mastery, and literary skill. It should be a contribution to the student’s area of study and should reflect the student’s independent efforts with guidance from the thesis committee. A thesis track student must take 15 credit hours of elective courses and a minimum of 6 continuous hours of thesis credit. Students may not register for thesis credit unless all other required courses have been completed successfully. See “Program Academic Regulations” above for minimum grade requirements.

Initiating a Thesis. The decision to write a thesis is made by the student in consultation with and approved by the department’s Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Students considering a thesis must first meet with the DGS before the end of the first year (or prior to the completion of 18 credit hours) to learn more about the expectations and requirements of the thesis. Before approval is given, the student must demonstrate that a tenured or tenure-track faculty member of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology is willing to chair the thesis committee. If approved to pursue a thesis, the student should follow these steps:

1. Choose a thesis topic and develop a brief statement of the research problem with the assistance of the thesis committee chair.
2. In consultation with the committee chair, identify at least two additional departmental committee members who are willing to serve and have appropriate academic preparation and/or experience relative to the thesis topic. Faculty from other institutions or a criminal justice agency may serve on the committee with prior approval.
3. Complete and submit the department’s thesis application and committee appointment forms to the DGS for final approval.
4. Obtain authorization from the Department’s Administrative Specialist for Graduate Programs to register for thesis credit hours.

Thesis Proposal and Proposal Defense. The proposal consists of the introduction, review of the literature, methods and procedures, and references. Students must submit the proposal to the committee two weeks prior to the proposal defense. The format of the defense is committee-driven, but typically entails the student presenting the proposal in front of the committee followed by Q&A. Following a successful defense and pending requested revisions, the student must obtain approval from the university Institutional Review Board (IRB) for projects involving research with human subjects before any data collection or analysis can begin.

Grades. The chair of the thesis committee will submit a grade of either IP or U for the student enrolled in CRJU 8990   until the semester in which the thesis is defended and completed. A grade of IP indicates that the student did not complete the thesis during the semester, but was making satisfactory progress. A grade of U indicates that progress was unsatisfactory. At the end of the semester during which the thesis is defended and completed, the chair of the thesis committee will submit a grade of S or U. A grade of S indicates that the thesis was successfully completed and defended. A grade of U indicates that the thesis was not successfully defended or was not successfully completed following a successful defense. A student receiving a grade of U must petition for permission to register for additional thesis credits. Such permission is not automatic, but depends upon the thesis committee chair’s determination that the student can complete the thesis satisfactorily in the succeeding semester. The grades of IP or U assigned to thesis work prior to the completion of the thesis will remain on the student’s record.

Final Defense of the Thesis. Every student who completes a thesis is subject to a final oral examination or defense. The student may only schedule the final thesis defense when all other degree requirements have been satisfied. Prior to scheduling the defense, the student must submit a final draft of the thesis to all members of the committee, who will determine the feasibility of a final defense. The thesis committee must receive and approve the final draft of the thesis prior to the scheduling of the final defense. The student and thesis committee must agree upon the date, time, and place of the final thesis defense, which must occur prior to the final two weeks of scheduled classes for the semester of anticipated graduation. With the committee’s approval, the student must announce the date, time, and place for the final thesis defense at least two weeks prior to the date of the defense. No fewer than three members of the student’s thesis committee must attend the thesis defense. The defense will be open to all faculty members and the general public. Approval of the thesis requires a majority favorable vote by the thesis committee. Should an attempt be unsuccessful, the thesis committee has the prerogative for how to proceed, including the latitude to recommend additional requirements or the student’s termination from
the program. The student is allowed two attempts to successfully defend the thesis. Immediately following the thesis defense, the committee chairperson should report the results to both the Director of Graduate Studies and the AYSPS Office of Academic Assistance.

Thesis Formatting and Style. The thesis must comply with current AYSPS format, style, and procedural instructions available here: aysps.gsu.edu/oaa/thesis-guidelines/. Submission, Reproduction, and Publication of the Electronic Thesis. To be cleared for graduation, the thesis format must be approved by the Office of Academic Assistance and electronically submitted through the Georgia State University Library. See aysps.gsu.edu/oaa/thesis-guidelines/ for additional instructions.

Submission, Reproduction, and Publication of the Electronic Thesis. To be cleared for graduation, the thesis format must be approved by the Office of Academic Assistance and electronically submitted through the Georgia State University Library. See aysps.gsu.edu/oaa/thesis-guidelines/ for additional instructions.

Capstone Seminar in Criminal Justice (CRJU 8980 ). The capstone seminar requires nonthesis students to complete written and oral critical analyses of scholarly literature, applying their core knowledge to real-world problems and questions within the fields of criminal justice and criminology. The seminar provides students with an integrative experience whereby theory, scholarly research, and practice are combined to solve specific organizational challenges and policy concerns involving crime and justice issues. A non-thesis track student must take 18 semester hours of elective coursework. Students choosing the non-thesis option will be required to enroll in the capstone seminar during the Spring semester (the course will not be offered during the Fall semester or Summer session). Students who have completed successfully at least 21 credit hours toward the degree, including all of the required courses, will be permitted to enroll in the capstone seminar.