The Department of Sociology and Criminology offers a Master's of Science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. The program provides training in fundamentals of the criminal justice system and criminological theory, as well as foundational training in research methods and statistics. students may tailor their programs to best fit their goals through their selected electives, curricula tracks, and choice of one of three completion options. At present, curricula tracks (comprised of six credit hours) include such areas as leaderships and management, criminal law, research methods and statistics, and geographic information systems (GIS). Students have the program completion options of preparing for and taking a comprehensive examination, completing an internship and accompanying paper, or completing a Master's thesis.
For more information, please see our website: : http://www.as.miami.edu/sociology/graduate-programs/mscriminology/ .
Admission Requirements
Students are evaluated for admission based on a holistic assessment of the following requirements. Students must submit:
- A statement of purpose.
- In this personal statement applicants detail their reasons for pursuing the degree, both in general and in our program specifically. The statement will help evaluate applicants’ writing abilities as well as fit with our program.
- Transcripts from all academic institutions attended.
- Official transcripts from all academic institutions attended must be submitted. Transcripts should show that students attained a minimum of 3.0 in the last 60 credits of upper division undergraduate coursework and/or 3.0 in graduate coursework. Applicants with lower averages may be admitted to the Certificate program.
- Letters of recommendation.
- At least three letters of recommendation must be submitted. These should be positive and strongly indicate that the applicant has the aptitude and stamina necessary to successfully complete a graduate degree.
Academic Standing
Graduate students are expected to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 overall GPA in all coursework. Should the average fall below that minimum in a semester, the student will be notified and will work with his/her advisor to rectify the performance issues. If the student has a second consecutive semester with an average overall GPA below 3.0, he/she will be placed on academic probation. Three semesters of below average performance may result in suspension from the program in accordance with guidelines for the University’s Graduate School.
