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Florida State University Graduate Bulletin 2007-2009

College of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Dean: Thomas G. Blomberg; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice: William Bales; Director of Graduate Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice: Gary Kleck

Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice is the oldest program of its kind and is one of the world's foremost centers of scholarship and teaching related to problems of crime and the administration of justice.

The College is home to some of the nation's premiere scholars in criminology and criminal justice. Some of the areas of research for which faculty are well known include law enforcement, corrections, courts, juvenile justice, victimology, gun control, self-control and crime, urbanization and crime, and fear of crime. FSU also leads the nation in funding for research on education and delinquency. The faculty are among the best in the nation in terms of scholarly productivity, and PhD graduates from FSU have a very high level of publication in scholarly journals.

The Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research boasts $11 million in externally funded research projects, and conducts ground-breaking research that promotes evidence-based policy-making and practice at state and national levels. It also provides unique hands-on research opportunities for graduate students.

The College holds the editorship of Criminology and Public Policy, an official publication of the American Society of Criminology. This prestigious publication is a peer-review journal devoted to the study of criminal justice policy and practice. Graduate students serve as the managing editor and assistant to the editor.

In addition, the college publishes the Journal of Drug Issues, one of the oldest journals in the field. It is a refereed publication widely used by research scholars, public policy analysts, and those involved in the day-to-day struggle against the problem of drug abuse. Each year, a graduate student holding the Richard Rachin Fellowship assists in editing the journal.

Faculty and students benefit from a research community that appreciates the value of diversity, and our capital city location provides students and graduates with unique research, data access, and employment opportunities. Access to state and federal courts and correctional facilities; the Florida legislature and its committees; the Office of the Governor; the attorney general; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; the departments of Corrections, Probation and Parole, and Juvenile Justice; and a number of related private firms serve to enrich the graduate experience.

The graduate programs emphasize the importance of scientifically rigorous research that advances the knowledge of the discipline and informs public policy. The master's program prepares students for an administrative or research career in the criminal justice system and other related areas. The doctoral program trains individuals as critical scholars and prepares them for a career of teaching and research or for a higher-level research or administrative career in the criminal justice system.

The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers graduate degree programs leading to the master of science (MS), master of arts (MA), and the doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees. In addition to the criminology degree programs, joint master's degree programs are offered in public administration and social work. For the most current information, go to the College's Web site at http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/.

Scholarships, Awards, and Financial Aid

Each year the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers a number of assistantships to incoming and continuing graduate students with excellent academic records. Assistantships require 13 to 20 hours of work per week. Work commitments vary by salary and job assignments and include teaching and research appointments in the College and research appointments at the Research Center. Tuition waivers are included as part of these awards. Only full-time students are eligible for these awards.

In addition to these awards, the College offers the Robert L. Clark Scholarship, Jerry A. and Caroline S. Glass Scholarship Award, Joe Harris Memorial Teaching Fellowship, Ernest Kearns Ponce De Leon Memorial Scholarship, Richard Rachin Fellowship, and the Gordon P. Waldo Fellowship. These awards are made on an annual basis but may be continued for a second year and carry no work assignment. Students interested in these awards should apply through the Office of the Dean, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The college is responsible for awarding a one-year University fellowship to an outstanding incoming graduate student. There are other University-wide fellowships that students may apply for through the president's, dean's, or graduate offices.

Admission Requirements

All regular requirements of the University must be met. The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice will exercise discretion in admitting students from among those who meet the minimum criteria specified below.

Applications for Fall and Spring semesters are accepted, though admission in Fall is recommended. To receive full consideration for admission and funding, application materials must be received by February 15. Applications are accepted through July for Fall and November 1 for the Spring. No applications are accepted for Summer admission.

Master's Program

Applicants must submit evidence of a completed baccalaureate degree, a verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score, transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate study, three letters of reference from persons familiar with their academic performance and potential, and a personal statement between 300 and 500 words in length. A minimum score of 1000 on the combined verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE and an undergraduate upper-division grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) is required for admission.

Doctoral Program

Doctoral students may be admitted either upon completion of their baccalaureate degree, or upon completion of a master's degree (MA or MS). Those entering the program with only a bachelor's degree must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, and must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher throughout the master's course work. Those entering with a master's degree must submit evidence of a completed degree program, a copy of their thesis or equivalent research paper, and must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA for their master's course work.

Degree Requirements

All Graduate Students

All regular requirements of the University must be met.

All graduate students are expected to meet the equivalency of an undergraduate research methods/statistics course (CCJ 4700) before enrolling in CCJ 5705 or 5706. Those not meeting this requirement must take CCJ 5704 before enrolling in CCJ 5705 or 5706.

All graduate students must achieve a grade of "B" (3.0) or better in each of the following required courses: CCJ 5285, 5605, 5606, 5705, and 5706. Approved equivalent courses from other programs may be substituted for the above.

In addition to those courses required for the master's degree, all doctoral students must complete any two of the following three research methods courses: CCJ 5707, 5709 and 6741.

Master of Science

Students pursuing the MS degree must satisfy the requirements listed above for all graduate students and may take one of the three following program options:

 1. Successful completion of thirty-three (33) semester hours of course work; this option does not qualify a student for application to the PhD program

 2. Successful completion of twenty-four (24) semester hours of course work and a minimum of six (6) hours of credit for an original thesis; this option includes an oral thesis defense

or

 3. Successful completion of twenty-seven (27) semester hours of course work and six (6) semester hours on a master's area paper; this option may include an oral defense of the area paper at the discretion of the student's supervisory committee.

In each of these options, there must be a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours earned within the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. This includes course work, thesis, or area paper. Twenty-one (21) of the hours must be graded hours.

The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice features Web-based courses that permit graduate students to earn a master's degree without coming to campus. Additional information about this opportunity is available at: http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/.

Master of Arts

Students studying for the MA degree may follow any of the three MS options. Please note, though, that the MA comprises the additional requirements that course work must include at least six (6) semester hours of humanities credit, and that the student must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language as determined by University criteria.

Doctor of Philosophy

Students pursuing the PhD must satisfy the requirements listed above for all graduate students. The sufficiency of additional course work is determined by the student's supervisory committee. PhD students must also fulfill the University residency requirement of completing twenty-four (24) semester hours within a twelve month period. Qualification for PhD candidacy is established upon the passing of written comprehensive examinations in three areas: theory, research methods and statistics, and a substantive area approved by the student's committee. Theory and methods exams are graded by college-wide committees; the substantive exam is graded by the student's supervisory committee.

A dissertation prospectus must be approved by the student's supervisory committee after the passing of comprehensive examinations. A minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours of dissertation credits will be earned by all doctoral students. Completion and successful oral defense of the dissertation will lead to the awarding of the PhD.