Master of Science in
Criminology
http://www.utdallas.edu/epps/criminology/
Faculty
Professors: John L. Worrall
(Program Head), Bruce Jacobs, James Marquart
Associate Professors: Denise
Boots, Tomislav Kovandzic, Lynne Vieraitis
(Graduate Director)
Assistant
Professors: J.C. Barnes, Robert Morris,
Clinical Professors: Elmer Polk
Clinical Assistant Professors: Timothy Bray, Sarah Maxwell
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, as well as to provide a forum for
new ideas and approaches to the study of crime.
Objectives
The Master of Science in Criminology provides students with
a coherent yet intellectually challenging degree that prepares them to conduct
interdisciplinary research among the many aspects of criminology and criminal
justice, varying with individual interests and areas of specialty. Graduates
of the M.S. program will be competent to teach at the community college and at
the University level as adjunct lecturers. Graduates will also be ready to
enter into analytic and administrative posts within a vast array of 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.
Prerequisites
For
the Master of Science in Criminology, students with an undergraduate degree in
Criminology or a related field will have the necessary academic foundation to
begin their graduate coursework (See the Graduate Program Handbook which is
posted on the EPPS Website for more information on Prerequisites and Transfer
Policies at http://epps.utdallas.edu/crim).
Program of Studies Policy
Each student admitted to a graduate program will have a
specific program of studies agreed upon in consultation with the Graduate
Studies Committee or graduate advisor for Criminology per the degree plan for
the program. A complete Program of Studies Form will be filed in and approved
prior to the student’s registration for his/her 19th semester credit hour to be
counted toward a master’s degree.
Analytical Paper Writing Requirement
(MS in Criminology)
All
Doctoral track students must complete a writing requirement while enrolled in
the MS Program. Student must take a minimum of six enrollment hours of CRIM
6V98,complete an analytical research paper and present their findings in a
colloquium setting to be eligible for graduation with the MS.
Non-Writing Requirement for the MS
in Criminology
MS students on a terminal track who
do not wish to be considered for admission into a doctoral program have the
option of taking 6 hours of any graduate classes as electives in lieu of the
writing requirement.
Coursework and Credit Hours
15 Hours of required Criminology
core classes:
CRIM 6300 Proseminar in Criminology
CRIM 6303 Etiology of Crime and Criminality
CRIM 6311 Crime and Justice Policy
EPPS
6310 Research Design I
EPPS 6313 Introduction
to Quantitative Methods *
PLUS 15 hours Electives:
9 hours in Elective Criminology
graduate courses, and
6 hours in any program or school outside Criminology
AND:
6 hours of CRIM 6V96 Analytical
Writing Research (for Ph.D. track students), or
6 hours of graduate-level course electives (for students wishing to terminate
at MS)
Total
Hours: 36
*
Doctoral-track or doctoral students are advised to take EPPS 7313 Descriptive
and Inferential Statistics (instead of EPPS 6313) and EPPS 7316 Regression and
Multivariate Analysis directly following to ensure continuity and success with
the increased rigor in the doctoral level statistics/methods sequence.