MA in Criminal Justice
An MA Degree in Criminal Justice is offered in a joint program by the Sociology Department and the Forensic Sciences Department at GWU. The program is unique in combining training in traditional criminal justice and forensic sciences. Requirements include courses in research methods, statistics, criminal justice, and forensic sciences courses.
The Criminal Justice program is an academic program, weighted toward traditional criminology (with some forensic science training as well), and is not intended to train practitioners who wish to work in criminal justice or security agencies. Students interested in pursuing an MA in forensic sciences fields (e.g., traditional forensics, security management, crime in commerce, computer fraud) should consult the Forensic Sciences website.
MA candidates must fulfill the following requirements for the MA degree, including three Research Methods courses, two Criminal Justice courses, two Forensic Sciences courses, five elective courses, and either a thesis or a comprehensive examination.
General Requirements
All students must satisfactorily complete the following courses:
Research Methods:
SOC 230: Methods
SOC 231: Data Analysis
One other methodology course (SOC 232: Qualitative Methodology, or SOC 240: Field Research in Organizational Settings)
Criminal Justice:
SOC 258: Deviance & Control
SOC 259: Criminology
Forensic Sciences:
FORS 224: Criminal Law I
FORS 225: Criminal Law II
Electives:
Five courses chosen from the following:
Any Forensic Sciences course(s)
SOC 260: Special Topics in Criminal Justice
SOC 262: American Corrections
SOC 263: Race & Crime
SOC 264: Organized Crime
SOC 266: Gender & Criminal Justice
A minimum of one course must be taken from Forensic Sciences (any course) or Criminal Justice (from the above list) -- e.g., one Criminal Justice course and four Forensic Sciences courses; two CJ-three FS; three CJ-two FS; four CJ-one FS
Comprehensive Examination or Thesis:
Either a Comprehensive Examination or Master's Thesis is required.
Comprehensive Examination: Written examination covering required research methods and criminal justice, coursework.
Master’s Thesis: Substitute Soc 299 and 300 (Thesis Research) for two elective courses. The thesis is expected to be original research of publishable quality. The thesis committee will consist of two members, at least one selected from the Sociology faculty or the Forensic Science faculty.
For a description of the Sociology courses listed above, go to: http://www.gwu.edu/~bulletin/grad/soc.html. For a description of the Forensic Sciences courses listed above, go to: http://www.gwu.edu/~bulletin/grad/fors.html.
Time to Complete Degree
Normally it takes two years for full-time students to complete their degrees. A part-time option (with a minimum of six credits per semester) is also available.
Program of Studies Form
All MA candidates must complete a Program of Studies form no later than the end of the first semester of residence. Forms are available in the department's MA Information Packet.
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