Master of Arts in Criminal Justice

KB Turner, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Graduate Studies

The Program

Application forms (click here)

The graduate program of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which is part of the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, seeks to serve students who are interested in the criminal justice system, with a focus on those who seek careers in this area. Faculty conduct research and participate in program development relevant to the many different facets of criminology and criminal justice. A significant emphasis of the program is on developing partnerships with policymakers, program developers, and other community groups.

The graduate program provides students with a solid foundation of knowledge about criminology and criminal justice. The required course work provides students with the skills necessary for conducting and evaluating research. Graduate students have the opportunity to learn in both classroom and community settings and to work closely with faculty in all facets of research.

Objectives of the program are to provide students with an understanding of criminological principles, theories, and concepts, as well as an appreciation for the significance of social justice in public policy decisions. The program also strives to assist students in the development of critical analytical and research skills to prepare them for professional careers in the field of criminal justice.

Program Admission

Students are selected from the pool of qualified applicants who meet departmental admission requirements. The number of students admitted to the program yearly depends on availability of financial aid and adequate faculty supervision. Applicants should have at least a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, satisfactory scores on both the verbal and the quantitative sections of the GRE, and two letters of recommendation. All application material should be received by July 1 for a candidate to be considered for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester.

To be considered for admission, the applicant should:

1. Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Have earned a grade point average of at least 3.00 on a scale of 4.00 and achieved an acceptable score on the GRE. The admissions committee reserves the right to make exceptions for candidates presenting special circumstances.
3. Submit a letter of purpose for graduate study to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Criminology and Criminal Justice that is no more than one typed single-spaced page in length.
4. Submit two letters of recommendation.

Program Requirements

• A total of 33 semester hours of graduate work is required.
• Up to 3 hours of thesis coursework will be counted toward the degree upon the completion and defense of the thesis. Students writing a thesis will have a thesis committee with no fewer than three members.
• Satisfactory completion of the following core curriculum (15 hours):

• SUAP 7100 Public Policy Statistics

• CJUS 7100 Criminal Justice Administration: Programs and Policies  

• CJUS 7128 Research Methods in Criminal Justice
  CJUS 7161 Intervention Strategies: Changing Organizations and Communities
  CJUS 7541 Criminological Theory: Causes of Crime

• A minimum of 27 hours of coursework at the 7000 level, including thesis hours.
• Up to nine hours of coursework may be taken outside the department with prior approval of the graduate coordinator.
• Students will be allowed no more than six hours of credit toward the degree in non-classroom courses. Thesis hours will not count toward this six hour limit. 
• Satisfactory performance on a comprehensive examination covering the major areas of criminology and criminal justice.

Retention Requirements

1. All students are required to maintain a GPA of at least 3.00. Should the student’s GPA fall below that mark, a period of one semester will be allowed to correct the deficiency. At the discretion of the chair, the coordinator of graduate studies, and the Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, this period may be extended one additional semester.

2. Any student receiving a grade of D or F in a required course in the core curriculum will be terminated from the program.                     

Courses in Criminal Justice                      

A full description of courses, requirements, departments, and degrees is available on-line in  The 2008-2009 Graduate Catalog.

CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE  (CJUS)

6010-19. Special Topics in Criminal Justice. (1-3). Topics are varied and announced in Schedule of Classes.

6160. Forensic Sciences. (3). Forensic specialties will be discussed in terms of their history, the scientific rationale upon which each is based, and the problems that may compromise accuracy or validity; introduction to field techniques and analysis of evidence.

6180. Corporate and White-Collar Crime. (3). Organizational and occupational crime in comparison to other types of criminality; emphasis on causes, frequency, control, and social impact.

6190. Terrorism: Social and Legal Perspectives. (3). Theoretical and ideological aspects of practice of and response to international and domestic terrorism; terrorism as crime from political, social, economic, historical, and legal perspectives.

6520. Substantive Criminal Law. (3). Substance of the crime, including common-law sources and basic principles, types of offenses, responsibility, justification and excuse, and related areas.

6531. Issues in Constitutional Rights. (3). Topical issues in constitutional law related to criminal defendants and incarcerees; exclusionary rule and its alternatives, application of 1st Amendment to criminal law, legal status of confined persons, liability of correctional/police officials and civil /criminal legal techniques for protecting and vindicating constitutional rights, such as habeas corpus and 42 USC 1983.

6533. Juvenile Delinquency: Theory and Process. (3). Theories of juvenile delinquency, gang activities, and status offenses; history, organization, programs, and procedures of agencies charged with control and prevention of juvenile delinquency including police, juvenile units, juvenile courts, and juvenile correctional agencies.

7100-8100.  Criminal Justice Administration: Programs & Policies.  (3).  Examination of the structure and interrelationship of the major components of the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on the impact of social and political forces and policies on the roles and functions of criminal justice agencies.

†7110-8110. Individual Directed Study. (1-4). Individual directed research/readings in special areas of interest in the field of criminal justice. May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credit hours. PREREQUISITE: Permission of Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

7128-8128. Research Methods in Criminal Justice. (3). Principles of social science research as applied to the study of the criminal justice system. Sampling techniques and research strategies. Emphasis on the development of research skills enabling the student to conduct an independent research project.

7129-8129. Advanced Statistical Methods in Criminal Justice. (3)  The seminar will provide an introduction to intermediate and advanced topics related to the statistical analysis of data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data.  Emphasis will be given to Bureau of Justice Statistics data that describe the principal activities of the criminal justice system.  Particularly complex data sets or those that show special promise for informing theoretically interesting issues will also be accorded special attention.  Prerequisite: Permission of the Graduate Coordinator.

7130-8130. Crime Analysis and Criminal Behavior. (3). In-depth study of "normal crimes"; the analysis of the characteristics of the criminal, the victim, and the setting for specified offenses. The typical demographic and ecological elements of each type of crime with the purpose of providing a framework for analysis and comparison.

7131-8131.  Research Practicum in Criminal Justice. (3) The student will be exposed to development, implementation and/or analysis of research methodology.  Each student will work under direction of one faculty member on an experimental, theoretical or applied research study.  Prerequisite: CJUS 7128. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 hours.

†7140-8140. Graduate Colloquium. (3). Presentations of scholarly activity and examination of classical and contemporary issues in criminology and criminal justice. Required of all graduate assistants. Prerequisite: Appointment as a graduate assistant in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

†7141-8141. Reading for Comprehensives. (1-6). Arranged on an individual basis for Criminology and Criminal Justice graduate students only and directed by faculty. Prerequisites: Student must have completed required course work or be in the last semester of required course work.

†7150-8150. Internship in Criminal Justice (3-6). Experience in a criminal justice setting through assignment to an enforcement, judicial, or correctional agency under joint supervision of agency officials and university faculty. PREREQUISITE: Permission of Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

7160-8160. Seminar in Criminal Justice Administration. (3). Theories of organization with emphasis on structures, principles, techniques, and processes of criminal justice agencies; factors affecting behavior within such organizations; motivation, leadership, group dynamics, conflict management, unionization, selection, training, performance evaluation, organizational change, and political factors in public agency operation.

7161-8161.  Intervention Strategies: Changing Organizations & Communities. (3). Development of intervention, prevention and suppression strategies by criminal justice agencies; role of social and political institutions and forces on design and implementation of strategies; emphasis on how design and implementation impact communities and residents.

7190-99–8190-99. Special Topics in Criminal Justice. (3). Systematic and comprehensive examination of important and timely issues and development in the field of criminal justice. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours.

7460. Race, Ethnicity, Gender. (3). Looks at ways race, ethnicity, and gender have an impact on how offenders and victims are treated within the criminal justice system, focusing on majority/minority realtions and how attitudes revolving around these relations are reflected within the criminal justice process.

7510-8510. Law and Society. (3). Examination of law as a system of control and as a mechanism for the resolution of conflict. Relationship of law to political, economic, and social systems critically analyzed; the development of the legal profession.

7523-8523. The Concept of Criminal Law. (3). Social foundation and principles on which our system of criminal law is based.

7541-8541. Criminological Theory: Causes of Crime. (3). An overview of historical, sociological, biological and economic theories of crime causation; particular attention will be made to critically analyze each of the theories presented in terms of recent research findings.

7542-8542.  Victimology: Causation, Prevention & Intervention. (3).  An overview of the study of crime victims and the process, etiology and consequences of criminal victimization.  Focus is on the types of crime victims, theories of victimization and the victim’s treatment within the criminal justice system using national data as well as recent research findings.

7570-8570. Legal Issues in Criminal Justice Administration. (3). Relationship between legal and constitutional issues and concepts of ordered liberty and administration of justice; application of legal methodology to analysis of current issues in constitutional rights and remedies.

†7996. Thesis. (1-6).

†Grades of S, U, or IP will be given

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance for graduate students is available in the form of assistantships which are awarded on a competitive basis.
 
Graduate Student Handbook

 Graduate Student Handbook

Contact us

For more information:  E-Mail  Dr. KB Turner at kbturner@memphis.edu  

Note that application forms are available on-line.

Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
311 McCord Hall
The University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee 38152-6126

(901) 678-2737
(901) 678-5279 (FAX)