Graduate Program

Doctoral Degree: Requirements

• The Doctor of Philosophy degree will require a total of (90) credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which twelve (12) hours are in core proseminars and another twelve (12) hours are in other required courses. Of the remaining credit hours, up to 30 may be dissertation credit hours (P859). A student must have two major areas of specialty and a at least one minor area from outside the Department of Criminal Justice. For each major area, a student must complete nine (9) hours beyond the required core proseminar and pass a qualifying examination. The requirements for the outside minor are defined by the department offering the minor.
• Students are required to complete core proseminars in each of four substantive areas: Criminal Justice Systems and Processes (P501), The Nature of Crime and Delinquency (P502), Law and Society (610), and Cross-Cultural Studies (P670). Students also must complete three (3) hours in research methods (P594) and six (6) hours in statistical methods (P595 and P596). There also is a research tool requirement that may be satisfied by completing three (3) hours in a research practicum (P599) or other research skills course(s). The student’s advisory committee chair person must approve the means by which this requirement is met.
• Students may not petition to waive, transfer, or substitute any course for the following core requirements: P501, P502, P610, and P670.
• Students admitted directly into the Ph.D. program without a graduate degree in criminal justice may earn a M.A. degree in criminal justice by completing all of the M.A. requirements specified in this handbook.
• P855 (Research in Criminal Justice) and P851 (Readings in Criminal Justice) may be used to satisfy requirements within any area of concentration at the discretion of the relevant area committee. Normally, these courses are limited to six (6) credit hours, but may be allowed to go beyond six credits with the consent of the student’s advisory committee.