The Doctor of Criminal Justice (DCJ) program was developed to prepare practitioners capable of making contributions to the criminal justice field in the academic and applied components of the discipline. The curriculum is designed to ensure that graduates are well equipped to participate in criminal justice positions emphasizing research, theory, evidence-based practice, and the administration of justice.
Candidates best suited for this program are current criminal justice practitioners and/or military personnel with at least three-years of experience in the areas of law enforcement, probation, corrections, parole, security, juvenile justice, government and/or investigations who want to demonstrate academic and leadership preparedness in the pursuit of career advancement opportunities.
The degree of Doctor of Criminal Justice is designed to produce students of crime and justice who possess:
The DCJ program will produce students capable of making contributions to the criminal justice discipline in the academic and applied components of the discipline. The curriculum is designed to ensure that graduates are well equipped to participate in criminal justice positions emphasizing research, theory, evidence-based practice, and the administration of justice.
The overall objective of the program is to provide the student with the highest level of educational value in order to provide the tools necessary for success in today’s law enforcement. The program goals are:
Note: Courses in the DCJ program are eight-weeks in length, and students are scheduled for one course at a time. Applied Doctoral Project courses are eight-weeks in length and students are scheduled for two applied doctoral project courses per semester.
Admission Requirements:
To receive a Doctor of Criminal Justice degree, students with a master’s degree must earn 44 graduate semester credit hours as described below. Depending on the transfer or credit and scheduling variables, the DCJ program can be completed in as little as 2.5 years or less.
| Foundation Courses (27.0 credit hours) | |
|---|---|
| Proseminar in Criminal Justice and Criminology | 3.0 credit hours |
| Criminological Theory | 3.0 credit hours |
| Advanced Criminological Theory | 3.0 credit hours |
| Criminal Justice Policies and Practices | 3.0 credit hours |
| Police and Society | 3.0 credit hours |
| Criminal Justice Program Evaluation | 3.0 credit hours |
| Advanced Criminal Justice Leadership | 3.0 credit hours |
| Special Topics | 3.0 credit hours |
| Crime and Punishment | 3.0 credit hours |
| Research Courses (9.0 credit hours) | |
|---|---|
| Advanced Research Design | 3.0 credit hours |
| Quantitative Research I | 3.0 credit hours |
| Qualitative Research | 3.0 credit hours |
| Applied Doctoral Project Courses (8.0 credit hours) - Students must complete four Applied Doctoral Project Courses. | |
|---|---|
| Applied Doctoral Project | 2.0 credit hours |
Doctoral students must complete one residency prior to Applied Doctoral Project Courses.
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