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  1. Home
  2. School of Public Affairs
  3. Criminal Justice (M.A.)

Curriculum

  1. The thesis track requires 30 credits. Six of the credits (CRIMJ 600) will be for the thesis.
  2. The master’s paper track requires 30 credits. Three of these credits will be awarded for successful completion of a master’s paper, for which a student will register for three credits of CRIMJ 594.
  3. All credits must be at the 400, 500, 600, or 800 level, with a minimum of 18 credits at the 500 or 600 level. A minimum of 24 credits must be at the 500, 600, or 800 level.
  4. A minimum grade-point average of a 3.0 must be earned for course work taken as a graduate student.
  5. Students are required to take the following courses:
    • CRIMJ 500: Advanced Criminological Theory
    • CRIMJ 501: Advanced Research Methods for Criminal Justice
    • CRIMJ 502: Public Policy and the Criminal Justice System
    • CRIMJ 503: Advanced Statistics in Criminal Justice
    • CRIMJ 504: Criminal Justice Organization and Management
  6. Students must complete a 9 credit concentration. Students in the non-thesis track will also be required to complete an additional 3-credit elective. A list of courses required for each concentration and additional approved elective courses is maintained by the graduate program office.
  7. Students who believe they have completed a course substantially similar to one of the specific course requirements may apply to have their previous work evaluated for the purposes of exemption to that requirement. If approved, another course will be taken in place of that requirement.
  8. A maximum of 10 credits of completed graduate work may be transferred in from another accredited institution, subject to restrictions outlined in the Transfer Courses section of the Graduate Bulletin.

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Student Aid section of the Graduate Bulletin. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set forth in the Graduate Bulletin.


This page is not a part of the official Penn State University Bulletin.

Criminal Justice (M.A.)

  • Curriculum
    • Concentrations
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  • Program Requirements for Admission
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Penn State Harrisburg

A comprehensive college in southcentral Pennsylvania offering more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs.
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