The Justice, Law and Public Safety Studies Department (JLPSS) offers a Bachelor's to Master's 4+1 Program option for Lewis University undergraduate Criminal Justice majors. The 4+1 Program option allows qualified undergraduates to complete the graduate MSCSJ (Master of Science in Criminal Justice) in less time than would be possible if the two programs would be taken separately. Nine graduate hours may be used to complete the Bachelor's degree (128 hours) and to satisfy specific course requirements for the Master's program. The total number of required graduate credits (36) will remain the same. Students apply for admission to the 4+1 Program option by submitting the department application form to the Department Chair of JLPSS when they reach senior status (complete 90 credit hours) and have achieved an overall GPA of 3.0. Qualified students approved for the 4+1 Program option may apply graduate courses to the 18-hour block in the semesters when they take these select graduate courses. With planning, the MSCSJ could be awarded within one year of graduating with the Bachelor's degree. Students who take nine credit hours of approved graduate courses in Criminal Justice in their senior year and earn a grade of "B" or better in each of those courses will have to complete only 27 more credit hours of remaining core and elective courses including passing a comprehensive examination to earn the MSCSJ. Students accepted into this 4+1 Program option are required to apply for admission to the MSCSJ.
Graduate courses that may be taken in their senior year during the fall and spring semesters are listed below. With permission of the JLPSS Department Chair, one to three of these graduate courses may be applied to the undergraduate core or elective courses in the Criminal Justice curriculum. Listed next to each graduate course is the undergraduate course for which it substitutes:
CSJS 52000 Violent Crime substitutes for CSJS 35700 Victims and Victimization
CSJS 52400 Correctional Counselling and Rehabilitation substitutes for CSJS 48500 Rehabilitation Counselling
CSJS 52500 Drugs: Distribution and Impact substitutes for CSJS 34000 Drugs: Incidence and Abuse
CSJS 53300 Ethics and Integrity substitutes for CSJS 35600 Professionalism and Ethics
CSJS 53600 Criminal Procedure substitutes for CSJS 44500 Criminal Procedure/Rules of Evidence
CSJS 55500 Criminal Law substitutes for CSJS 43000 Elements of Criminal Law
CSJS 55900 Police Civil Liability substitutes for CSJS 49600 Rights and Civil Liability
CSJS 56900 Criminology substitutes for CSJS 22000 Criminology
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution
Expected November 2025
Start date
January 2025
College of Education and Social Sciences
Lewis University,
One University Parkway,
ROMEOVILLE,
Illinois,
60446, United States
Applicants must have graduated from an approved high school with a combination of grade point average, class rank, and ACT or SAT score which indicates a strong likelihood of success in university studies.
Completion of an introductory level methods course
Cumulative GPA of 2.75 (to enroll in the introductory methods course and continue in the program)
A 2.75 GPA within the academic major (a minimum “C” grade is required in all education courses toward licensure)
English Proficiency Exams
IELTS - Minimum 6.5; TOEFL IBT - Minimum 79; PTE-A - Minimum 52; Duolingo Academic - Minimum 105.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
Lewis University places a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning with small class sizes and a personalized teaching approach.