What will I learn?
GW’s master of arts in criminology program emphasizes that crime and criminal justice need to be understood in social context, informed by strong research skills and theoretical rigor. Drawing on criminology’s roots in sociology, racism and police abuse of force are as much the subject matter of our program as are classes in punishment and criminal law. Through research and coursework, students develop an understanding of how societies define, facilitate, or reduce crime and the social conditions that contribute to increasing or decreasing crime.Criminology graduate students gain an excellent grounding in theory (criminology, deviance and control, and sociology), various quantitative and qualitative research methods, and criminal law. Students choose substantive classes from the Department of Sociology and in other fields of study at GW (e.g., forensic science, transnational security, gender studies) or through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Criminology students may choose between writing a thesis and taking three elective courses or writing comprehensive exams and taking five elective courses, as part of the 36 credits in total required for the MA.The Department’s dedicated faculty works with a small graduate student body, allowing for strong professional relationships among both the faculty and graduate cohort. The program's Washington, DC location expands opportunities for internships, jobs, research, and exposure to a diverse, vibrant, and engaging city and metro area. Financial aid is offered to select academically competitive students. Salary-only graduate teaching assistantships are available to many of our students-graduate assistant experience is an additional source of professional expertise. While most students in the MA program have undergraduate backgrounds in criminology, criminal justice, or other social sciences, students from an array of fields, from finance to neuroscience, have been accepted as students and successfully completed their degrees.Graduates of the MA in criminology program go on to work in or reform the criminal justice sector, take positions in research and social change work in the government, nonprofit, and business sectors, as well as pursue PhD and JD degrees.
