Academic Programs Catalog

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

While a criminal justice undergraduate major comparable to that offered by this school is not required for admission to the Master of Arts degree program, the applicant must have a background of education and occupational experience appropriate to the successful pursuit of graduate work. Occupational experience is highly desirable before undertaking graduate study in some fields of criminal justice.

All applicants must have at least 12 credits of undergraduate course work in political science, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, social work, or any combination thereof. At least 6 of these credits must be in sociology, psychology, social work, or any combination of such courses.

Regular Status 

To be considered for admission to the Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, an applicant must:

1. submit a personal statement regarding their academic and professional goals.
2. submit scores from a GRE general exam taken within the last five years. The GRE exam is waived for candidates with a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 3.2 or higher from an accredited and recognized institution, and for applicants with a completed graduate degree.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

While a criminal justice undergraduate major comparable to that offered by this school is not required for admission to the Master of Science degree program, the applicant must have a background of education and occupational experience appropriate to the successful pursuit of graduate work in the concentration elected. Applicants insufficiently prepared for graduate study in criminal justice may have to complete collateral course work or pursue individualized study to satisfy deficiencies. Occupational experience is highly desirable before undertaking graduate study in some fields of criminal justice.

All applicants must have at least 12 credits of undergraduate course work in political science, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, social work, or any combination thereof. At least 6 of these credits must be in sociology, psychology, social work, or any combination of such courses.

Regular Status 

1. A bachelor's degree from a recognized educational institution.
2. An undergraduate grade–point average of 3.20 or higher.
3. Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. The GRE exam is waived for candidates with a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 3.2 or higher from an accredited and recognized institution and for applicants with a completed graduate degree.
4. Evidence of personal traits and characteristics considered important for scholarly performance.
5. Occupational experience is given weight in the selection of master's degree candidates whenever such experience is important to the study of a specific concentration or is an important factor in obtaining appropriate employment after completion of the Master of Science degree.

Provisional Status

A limited number of applicants who do not satisfy the school's regular admission requirements may be accepted provisionally. These students will be judged on the basis of their potential contribution to the field of criminal justice. Students should not be enrolled on a provisional basis for more than one semester. The student must be admitted on a regular basis to be considered a degree candidate. To qualify for admission to regular status, the student must complete a minimum of 10 credits in criminal justice graduate course work with a grade–point average of 3.20 or higher.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice

The program is available under both Plan A (with thesis) and Plan B (without thesis).  The student must complete a total of 30 credits distributed as follows:

Requirements for Both Plan A and Plan B

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in criminal justice focuses on criminal justice and criminology and theory-based knowledge of crime, criminal justice organizations and processes and the law. During the course of doctoral study, students are expected to develop the depth, breadth and consistency of their training in research methods and their applications of analytical capabilities to administrative and policy issues.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy program in Criminal Justice, an applicant must have:

1. Completed an undergraduate degree in criminal justice or related social science field.
2. An overall grade-point average of at least 3.2 in the most recent academic degree (master’s or bachelor’s).
3. Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test as judged by the faculty.
4. Evidence of experience in social science research, such as the completion of a master’s thesis.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Criminal Justice

Students who are enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in Criminal Justice must complete a minimum of 60 credits.

1. Completion of 18 credits in Criminal Justice 801, 810, 901, 906, 909, and 910.
2. Students admitted directly from an undergraduate degree program must take Criminal Justice 811 and 887 as prerequisites to Criminal Justice 906, 907, 909, and 910. Criminal Justice 811 and 887 may not be counted toward doctoral program requirements.
3. Completion of 12 credits of additional elective courses at the 800 level or above as approved by the student's guidance committee.
4. Completion of two 3-credit doctoral research methods courses in the College of Social Science as approved by the student’s guidance committee.
5. Satisfactory completion of 24 credits of Criminal Justice 999 and defense of a doctoral dissertation.

Normally students complete the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in four years.

The Master of Science degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation prepares students for successful careers related to the investigation of or response to cybercrime in both the public sector (law enforcement, government) and private industry.  Students gain an understanding of the diverse nature of cybercrime threats that affect individuals and organizations’ economic and physical safety. They also will recognize the risks posed by nation-states and terrorist organizations in online spaces, whether to intellectual property, economic operations, or national security and be capable of assessing these threats, understanding their impact to various individual and organization targets, the limits of current legal and cybersecurity policy and practice, and clearly communicate these concerns to diverse audiences.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the Master of Science degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation students must:

1. have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized educational institution, including a background of education, occupational experience appropriate to the successful pursuit of graduate study, and evidence of personal traits and characteristics considered important for scholarly performance.
2. have at least 12 credits of undergraduate course work in political science, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, social work, or any combination thereof. At least 6 of these credits must be in sociology, psychology, social work, or any combination of such courses.
3. have a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.20 or higher.
4. have satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. The GRE exam is waived for candidates with a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 3.2 or higher from an accredited and recognized institution, and for applicants with a completed graduate degree.

Several colleges and departments within Michigan State University cooperate to offer the Master of Science in Forensic Science. These include the College of Natural Science in cooperation with the departments of Chemistry; Pharmacology and Toxicology, Statistics and Probability, and Zoology as well as the Center for Advanced Microscopy, and the College of Social Science in cooperation with the Department of Anthropology and the School of Criminal Justice. The School of Criminal Justice is the primary administrative unit.

This program is designed to give all students a broad, theoretical and practical background in the scientific, legal and investigative aspects of forensic science while providing the opportunity to study one of the major disciplines in depth. Students enrolled in this program must complete a concentration in one of the following areas: forensic chemistry or forensic anthropology.

A thesis is required of all students pursuing Plan A and opportunities exist for an internship in a practicing United States or international forensic science laboratory.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the Master of Science degree program in forensic science, an applicant must have:

1. completed a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in a discipline appropriate to the desired concentration. For example, a student who desires to complete the concentration in forensic chemistry must have a bachelor’s degree in chemistry or a closely allied science such as biochemistry.
2. a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 for all course work in the bachelors degree.
3. satisfactory scores in the Graduate Record Examination General Test as judged by the program faculty. No substantive area GRE exams are required.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Forensic Science

The program is available under Plan A (with thesis) or Plan B (without thesis). Each student will have a thesis advisory committee comprised of the academic advisor and two other program faculty. The student must complete at least 38 credits as follows:

Additional Requirements for Plan A

1.    Complete 6 credits in Forensic Science 899 Master's Thesis Research.
2.    Attend at least one Master's Seminar Series lecture per semester.
3.    Pass an oral examination in defense of the thesis.

Additional Requirements for Plan B

1.    Complete 6 credits of Forensic Science 890 Independent Study.
2.    Attend at least one Master's Seminar Series lecture per semester.
3.    Completion of a final examination or evaluation.

The Master of Science degree in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis is a Plan B (without thesis), online program designed for working law enforcement professionals to enhance their education and training in the critical field of intelligence. Criminal justice students wishing to enter a law enforcement career with a specialized graduate degree may also apply.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the Master of Science degree program in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis, an applicant must:

1. submit a personal statement regarding their academic and professional goals.
2. submit scores from a GRE general exam taken within the last five years. The GRE exam is waived for candidates with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher from an accredited and recognized college or university, and for applicants with a completed graduate degree.

The School of Criminal Justice recognizes that many applicants have been out of the academic environment for some time, and other factors may be considered in the admission process. A limited number of applicants who do not satisfy the School’s regular admission requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis. The decision to grant provisional admission is based on the student’s potential contributions to the field of criminal justice. A student may be enrolled on a provisional basis for only two semesters and must be admitted on a regular basis to be considered a degree candidate. To qualify for regular status, a student must complete a minimum of 12 credits of graduate course work in criminal justice with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis

The Graduate Certificate in Cyber Criminology and Cyber Security is designed to provide graduates the knowledge of cybercrime/cyberterrorism, the understanding of basic principles of cybersecurity, and digital forensics skills to prepare individuals for successful careers in the fields of digital forensics, law enforcement investigations, cyber security, or intelligence analysis, whether in government or the private sector.  Students leave the program with ability to understand and identify the range of cybercrimes that occur, as well as the facilitating role of technology in myriad real world offenses, and will be able to identify the basic system and network structures that support the Internet and online communications, and understand and communicate basic cybersecurity strategies in practice in various organizations. Students will be able to utilize forensic techniques to appropriately seize and analyze digital forensic evidence from devices to yield digital evidence.

Requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Cyber Criminology and Cyber Security

The Graduate Specialization in Forensic Science provides a thorough understanding of the broad field of forensic science and prepares students for the role of court-qualified expert.  Students study scientific, technical, and ethical issues and the relationship of their own area of expertise to the criminal justice system. The legal aspects of forensic science presented include the study of court-qualified expert qualifications, types of scientific evidence likely to be admissible in court, and how evidence may become inadmissible for scientific and technical reasons.  Students will participate in a mock trial drawing on their systemic understanding of their field of expertise and their ability to explain methodology and evidence to laypersons.

This graduate specialization is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in doctoral degree programs at Michigan State University.  The Graduate Specialization in Forensic Science, which is administered by the School of Criminal Justice, is designed for individuals in a discipline that typically does not lend itself to full-time employment in a crime laboratory but may require participation in the criminal justice system in order to offer expert advice.  Completion of this specialization will provide students with knowledge of the United States legal system, scientific evidence, and intricacies of testifying, all of which are requisite to becoming an effective court-qualified expert in the courtroom.

With the approval of the department and college that administers the student’s degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the specialization may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the doctoral degree. The students program of study must be approved by the student’s advisor for the specialization.

Requirements for the Graduate Specialization in Forensic Science

The student must complete 9 credits from the following:

The complexities of modern society have combined to generate a variety of threats to business organizations, information networks, government installations and operations, and individuals.  The Graduate Specialization in Security Management is designed for students who are interested in private and government security.

The specialization, which is administered by the School of Criminal Justice, is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in master's degree programs at Michigan State University.  The specialization should be of particular interest to students who are enrolled in certain programs in the Eli Broad College of Business and the College of Social Science.

The Specialization in Security Management is designed to help students to understand:

1. The business and technical aspects of protecting private and government assets.
2. The administrative, management, technical, and legal problems of asset protection and loss prevention.
3. Concepts related to protecting personal and personnel rights, proprietary information, facilities, and other assets of an organization.
4. Security's relationship to the value of freedom and democratic principles in our society.

With the approval of the department or school and college that administer the student's degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for the specialization may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the master's degree.

Requirements for the Graduate Specialization in Security Management:

The student must complete: