Course variations

Course summary

The Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies offers professional education leading to a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. It offers a course of study that includes analysis of patterns and theories of criminal behavior; criminal justice administration, including critical problems facing law enforcement, courts, corrections and the juvenile justice system; the relationship between law and the legal system; individual and organizational strategies for change; research methods, statistics and computer technologies in criminal justice; and field work in criminal justice agencies. The program requires four core courses that provide the foundation for the program and six advanced-curriculum courses to enhance student's individual degree focus. The program appeals to a variety of students including recent college graduates as well as employees of criminal justice agencies interested in learning more about their field and advancing their careers. Still others enter the program as a first step toward a Ph.D. in criminal justice or a related field.

Entry requirement for international students

A baccalaureate degree or equivalent from a regionally accredited university and GPA of 3.0 or more (on a 4.0 maximum) while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student (normally based on the last sixty attempted semester hours); OR, a total score of 1000 or higher on the General Test (quantitative and verbal sections) of the Graduate Record Examination (or a GMAT score of 450 or higher as needed) or an equivalent score on an equivalent measure approved by the Board of Education. Even though an applicant may be considered admissible on the basis of the undergraduate grade point average or having a previous graduate degree, an official GRE or GMAT score must be on file before admission to graduate status. International students, except those who are from countries where English is the only official language or those who have earned a degree from a regionally accredited American college or university, are required to submit a score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS before they can be admitted to the university. A computer-based TOEFL score of 220 or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (or equivalent score on the paper-based test) or 6.5 on the IELTS is required unless otherwise specified by the program.

Qualification

Masters

Awarding body

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

Department name

College of Health and Public Affairs, Department of Criminal Justice