Criminal Justice

• The applicant must demonstrate satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). For admission with regular status, satisfactory performance is defined as a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000, and an analytical writing score of 4.0. Students submitting lower scores may be considered for provisional status. OR The applicant must demonstrate satisfactory performance on a critical-essay examination (CEE) administered by the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology under the guidance of the School of Behavioral Health. For admission with regular status, satisfactory performance for the CEE is defined as a minimum pass rate of 75 percent.
• Applicants must demonstrate satisfactory adherence with the minimum academic and professional compatibility criteria established by the program, which includes:

1. A cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale) (special consideration may be given to applicants with grade-point averages as low as 2.75 if the last part of their college work shows significant improvement).
2. Evidence of professional compatibility, personal qualifications, and motivation to complete a graduate program by obtaining a passing score on the admissions interview with the department\'s Admissions Committee. Evaluation criteria for the structured interview includes:

• Verbal communication skills
• Critical-thinking ability
• Values congruent with the criminal justice profession
• Appreciation of human diversity
• Evidence of reflective learning
• Comportment
• Submission of a completed application, including a personal statement, application fee, all college and/or university transcripts, and three letters of recommendation (one from an academic source and one from a work supervisor, preferred).

Prerequisites

This degree program builds on a broad liberal arts (general education) foundation. Consistent with this view, the program assesses the liberal arts foundation of students applying for the M.S. degree in criminal justice.

• Humanities (e.g., history, philosophy, literature, art, music, etc.)
• English and Communication Skills (e.g., oral and written communication media, etc.)
• Natural and Social Sciences (e.g., mathematics, human biology, physiology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, human development, ethnic studies, economics, political science or government, etc.)