Master of Science in Criminology

 

Faculty

Professors: Bruce Jacobs, James W. Marquart, John Worrall
Associate Professors: Thomislav Kovandzic, Lynne Vieraitis
Assistant Professors: Karen Hayslett-McCall, Robert Morris, Denise Paquette-Boots
Clinical Assistant Professors: Timothy Bray, Danielle Lavin-Loucks

Mission

The Mission of the Master of Science in Criminology program at the University of Texas at Dallas is threefold, to:

1. Deliver high-quality education to a diverse body of students regarding the etiology, control, and variation of law-breaking across space and time.

2. Serve local, regional, and national communities through professional development programs, public policy analyses and evaluation research, program and policy design, and as a forum for new ideas and approaches to the study of crime.

3. Advance the understanding of criminology through a multidisciplinary mix of theoretical and applied research.

Objectives

The Master of Science in Criminology provides students with a coherent and intellectually challenging degree that prepares them to conduct interdisciplinary research on various aspects of criminology and/or criminal justice, depending on their specific areas of specialty.Students will be well prepared for analytical and administrative posts in international and domestic research and policy institutions, criminal justice organizations, and in the private sector.

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University�s Computing Center. The School has two computing laboratories which have over 50 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including E-Views, R, Rats, SPSS and STATA. A computerized geographic information system, the Lexis Nexis Database, and WestLaw are also available for student use. The University�s Computing Center provides personal computers and UNIX Workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library�s and School�s memberships in numerous organizations.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate teaching and research assistantships are available to the most outstanding new applicants. Prospective students interested in receiving assistantships must submit materials including application forms by February 1. Applications may be obtained from Program Director�s Office.

Prerequisites

For the Master of Science in Criminology, students with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology will have the necessary foundation in criminology.Students who lack this foundation should complete the following undergraduate courses at U.T.Dallas or their equivalents at another institution: CRIM 3303 Advanced Criminology, CRIM 3303 Advanced Criminal Justice, CRIM 3304 Research Methods in Crime and Justice Studies, SOC 3305 Introduction to Social Statistics.Prospective students with concerns about their preparation for the Criminology program are encouraged to consult with the program coordinator.

Degree Requirements

The University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.

Students seeking a Master of Science in Criminology degree must complete 36 semester credit hours of coursework in the program.The Core curriculum involves 36 hours, including 9 hours of research methods and statistics, 21 hours in various aspects of criminology (i.e., contemporary criminological theory, proseminar in criminology, law and social control), and six hours of independent research to satisfy a writing requirement.Students must achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average in the Criminology core courses and an overall grade point average of 3.0 to graduate.

Core Courses

CRIM 5310 Research Design I
CRIM 5313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
CRIM 5316 Advanced Regression Analysis
CRIM 6300 Proseminar in Criminology
CRIM 6303 Etiology of Crime and Criminality
CRIM 6305 Law and Social Control
CRIM 6307 Extent of Crime and Measurement Problems in Criminology
CRIM 6311 Crime and Justice Policy
CRIM 6324 Correlates of Crime and Justice
CRIM 7300 Advances in Criminology Theory

Research Project Requirement (6 credit hours)

CRIM 6996 Master Thesis Research