UT Dallas 2013 Graduate Catalog

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

Graduate Programs in Criminology

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology

75 hours minimum beyond the baccalaureate degree

Program Faculty

Professors: Bruce A. Jacobs, James W. Marquart, Alex R. Piquero, Nicole Leeper Piquero, Robert W. Taylor, John L. Worrall

Clinical Professor: Elmer Polk

Associate Professors: Denise Paquette Boots, Tomislav Kovandzic, Robert G. Morris II, Lynne M. Vieraitis

Assistant Professors: James C. Barnes, Nadine Connell

Clinical Assistant Professor: Timothy M. Bray

Mission

The mission of the Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas is threefold in nature, in order to:

  1. Deliver high-quality education to a diverse body of graduate students regarding the etiology, control, and variation of lawbreaking across space and time.
  2. Serve local, regional, and national communities through professional development programs, public policy analyses, evaluation research, program and policy design, and a forum for new approaches to the study of crime.
  3. Advance the understanding of criminology through a multidisciplinary mix of theoretical and applied research.

Objectives

The doctoral program in Criminology is an interdisciplinary, research-oriented degree offered in conjunction with other graduate programs in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas. The objective of the PhD program is to provide students a coherent, yet intellectually challenging degree that adequately prepares them to conduct research among the many aspects of criminology and criminal justice, varying with individual interests and areas of specialty. Graduates of the PhD program will be qualified to teach at the university level as professors. Graduates will also be competent to enter into analytic and administrative posts within the vast array of research and policy institutions, criminal justice organizations, and in the private sector.

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) in two computing laboratories which equipped with major social science software packages, including EViews, R, RATS, PASW, Stata, LexisNexis database, and Westlaw for student use. The University's Computer Labs provide personal computers and UNIX Workstations. Data and reference materials are also available online via the library and UT Dallas's memberships in numerous organizations.

Graduate Assistantships

Criminology Program Funding is limited primarily to doctoral students, with limited opportunities others. Students should note their desire to be considered for graduate student funding as a teaching or research assistant in their letter of intent to the program at the time of application. For more specific information, please see our Criminology Graduate Program Handbook located on our website at epps.utdallas.edu/crim.

Application and Admission Requirements

The PhD Program in Criminology seeks applicants from a baccalaureate or Masters in Criminology, Sociology, or a relevant discipline. A 3.2 GPA and a GRE combined verbal and quantitative score of 300 are desirable, but students may be admitted at the program's discretion. All transcripts must be submitted, along with three letters of recommendation (preferably academic) and a one-page essay describing their background, education, and professional objectives. For more information please see our Graduate Handbook on our website.

Degree Requirements

On admission to the PhD in Criminology Program, a student must complete a 75 semester credit hours across three tiers of graduate coursework. Additionally, students must fulfill other requirements including comprehensive exams, and two writing requirements as follows:

  • Coursework: 75 credit hours of graduate study (minus transferred or masters hours)
  • Analytical Paper Writing Requirement
  • Comprehensive Examination
  • Doctoral Dissertation

A grade of "B-" or worse in any graduate class requires that the class be retaken with only one retake allowed per course. If the retake results in a final grade of "B-" or worse, the student will be dropped from the program. In addition, all students must meet the University's minimum required GPA of 3.0 or higher. See our Criminology Graduate Program Handbook located on our website for more specific requirements.

Course Requirements

Coursework Tiers and Credit Hours

Tier I

Required Criminology Core Classes (15 hours)

Electives: 15 hours (9 hours in Criminology and 6 graduate hours taken in any other subject)

Writing Requirement for Analytical Paper (6 hours)

Tier II

Required Criminology Core Classes (12 hours)

Required Additional EPPS Methods/Statistics Classes (6 hours)

Criminology Electives: 6 hours

Open Electives (in Criminology or any other program/college) (6 hours)

Tier III

Dissertation/Three-Paper Option Research (minimum of 9 hours)

Total Program Hours: 75 total credit hours minimum beyond BA/BS

27 hours Core Criminology Courses

6 hours analytical writing

6 hours Additional EPPS Methods/Statistics classes

12 hours Open Electives (any program/college)

9 hours Dissertation

75 hours total

Major Core Courses

EPPS 6310 Research Design I

CRIM 6300 Proseminar in Criminology

CRIM 6303 Etiology of Crime and Criminality

CRIM 6307 Extent of Crime and Measurement

CRIM 6311 Crime and Justice Policy

EPPS 6313 Introduction to Quantitative Methods

or EPPS 7313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

EPPS 6316 Applied Regression

or EPPS 7316 Regression and Multivariate Analysis

CRIM 7300 Advances in Criminology Theory

CRIM 7301 Seminar in Criminology Research and Analysis

CRIM 6V98 Analytical Writing Research (6 hours)

or CRIM 6V96 Master Thesis Research (6 hours)

CRIM 8V99 Dissertation (18 hours)

Criminology Electives

CRIM 6308 Victimology

CRIM 6309 Communities and Crime

CRIM 6310 Delinquency and Juvenile Justice

CRIM 6313 Corrections

CRIM 6314 Policing

CRIM 6315 Violent Crime

CRIM 6317 Courts

CRIM 6323 Violence and Gun Control

CRIM 6324 Correlates of Crime and Justice

CRIM 6348 Drugs and Crime

CRIM 7342 Qualitative Criminology

CRIM 7351 Advanced Criminological Theory Seminar

CRIM 7381 Special Topics in Criminology

CRIM 8V01 Independent Study

Sample of Additional Methods/Stats Classes

EPPS 6342 Research Design II

EPPS 6346 Qualitative Research Methods

EPPS 6352 Evaluation Research Methods in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

EPPS 7318 Structural Equation and Multilevel (Hierarchical) Modeling

EPPS 7344 Categorical and Limited Dependent Variables

EPPS 7368 Spatial Epidemiology

EPPS 7370 Time Series Analysis

EPPS 7386 Survey Research

EPPS 7390 Bayesian Analysis for Social and Behavioral Sciences

Master of Science in Criminology

36 hours minimum

Program Faculty

Professors: Bruce A. Jacobs, James W. Marquart, Alex R. Piquero, Nicole Leeper Piquero, Robert W. Taylor, John L. Worrall

Clinical Professor: Elmer Polk

Associate Professors: Denise Paquette Boots, Tomislav Kovandzic, Robert G. Morris II, Lynne M. Vieraitis

Assistant Professors: James C. Barnes, Nadine Connell

Clinical Assistant Professor: Timothy M. Bray

Mission

The mission of the Master of Science in Criminology program at the University of Texas at Dallas is threefold, to:

  1. Deliver high-quality education to a diverse body of students regarding the etiology, control, and variation of law-breaking across space and time.
  2. Serve local, regional, and national communities through professional development programs, public policy analyses and evaluation research, program and policy design, and as a forum for new ideas and approaches to the study of crime.
  3. Advance the understanding of criminology through a multidisciplinary mix of theoretical and applied research, as well as to provide a forum for new ideas and approaches to the study of crime.

Objectives

The Master of Science in Criminology provides students with a coherent yet intellectually challenging degree that prepares them to conduct interdisciplinary research among the many aspects of criminology and criminal justice, varying with individual interests and areas of specialty. Graduates of the MS program will be competent to teach at the community college and at the university level as adjunct lecturers. Graduates will also be ready to enter into analytic and administrative posts within a vast array of research and policy institutions, criminal justice organizations, and in the private sector.

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University's Computer Labs. The School has two computing laboratories which have over 30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including EViews, R, RATS, SPSS and Stata. A computerized geographic information system, the LexisNexis database, and Westlaw are also available for student use. The University's Computer Labs provide personal computers and UNIX workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library's and School's memberships in numerous organizations.

Application and Admission Requirements

The Master of Science in Criminology seeks applicants from a baccalaureate in Criminology, Sociology, or a relevant discipline. A 3.2 GPA and a combined GRE verbal and quantitative score of 300 are desirable, but students may be admitted at the program's discretion. All transcripts must be submitted, along with three letters of recommendation (preferably academic) and a one-page essay describing their background, education, and professional objectives. For more information please see our Graduate Handbook on our website.

Prerequisites

For the Master of Science in Criminology, students with an undergraduate degree in Criminology or a related field will have the necessary academic foundation to begin their graduate coursework (See the Graduate Program Handbook which is posted on the EPPS website for more information on Prerequisites and Transfer Policies at epps.utdallas.edu/crim).

Program of Studies Policy

Each student admitted to a graduate program will have a specific program of studies agreed upon in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee or graduate advisor for Criminology per the degree plan for the program. A complete Program of Studies Form will be filled in and approved prior to the student's registration for his/her 19th semester credit hour to be counted toward a master's degree.

Analytical Paper Writing Requirement (MS in Criminology)

All Doctoral track students must complete a writing requirement while enrolled in the MS Program. Students must take a minimum of six hours of CRIM 6V98, complete an analytical research paper and present their findings in a colloquium setting to be eligible for graduation with the MS.

Non-Writing Requirement for the MS in Criminology

MS students on a terminal track who do not wish to be considered for admission into a doctoral program have the option of taking 6 hours of any graduate classes as electives in lieu of the writing requirement.

Required Courses: 15 hours

CRIM 6300 Proseminar in Criminology

CRIM 6303 Etiology of Crime and Criminality

CRIM 6311 Crime and Justice Policy

EPPS 6310 Research Design I

EPPS 6313 Introduction to Quantitative Methods

Elective Courses: 21 hours

9 hours in Elective Criminology graduate courses

and 6 hours in any program or school outside Criminology

and 6 hours of CRIM 6V98 Analytical Writing Research (for PhD track students)
or 6 hours of graduate-level course electives (for students wishing to terminate at MS)

Master of Science in Criminology (Online)

36 hours minimum

Program Faculty

Professors: Bruce A. Jacobs, Alex R. Piquero, Nicole Leeper Piquero, James W. Marquart, Robert W. Taylor, John L. Worrall

Clinical Professor: Elmer Polk

Associate Professors: Denise Paquette Boots, Tomislav Kovandzic, Robert G. Morris II, Lynne M. Vieraitis

Assistant Professors: James C. Barnes, Nadine Connell

Clinical Assistant Professor: Timothy M. Bray

Mission

The mission of the Master of Science in Criminology program at the University of Texas at Dallas is threefold, to:

  1. Deliver high-quality education to a diverse body of students regarding the etiology, control, and variation of law-breaking across space and time.
  2. Serve local, regional, and national communities through professional development programs, public policy analyses and evaluation research, program and policy design, and as a forum for new ideas and approaches to the study of crime.
  3. Advance the understanding of criminology through a multidisciplinary mix of theoretical and applied research, as well as to provide a forum for new ideas and approaches to the study of crime.

Objectives

The Master of Science in Criminology (MS) provides students with a coherent yet intellectually challenging degree that prepares them to conduct interdisciplinary research among the many aspects of criminology and criminal justice, varying with individual interests and areas of specialty.

The fully online MS in Criminology offers students the convenience of completing coursework on their own schedules.

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University's Computer Labs. The School has two computing laboratories which have over 30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including EViews, R, RATS, SPSS and Stata. A computerized geographic information system, the LexisNexis database, and Westlaw are also available for student use. The University's Computer Labs provide personal computers and UNIX workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library's and School's memberships in numerous organizations.

Prerequisites

For the Master of Science in Criminology, students with an undergraduate degree in Criminology or a related field will have the necessary academic foundation to begin their graduate coursework (See the Graduate Program Handbook which is posted on the EPPS website for more information on Prerequisites and Transfer Policies at epps.utdallas.edu/crim).

Program of Studies Policy

Each student admitted to a graduate program will have a specific program of studies agreed upon in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee or graduate advisor for Criminology per the degree plan for the program. A complete Program of Studies Form will be filed in and approved prior to the student's registration for his/her 19th semester credit hour to be counted toward a master's degree.

Non-Writing Requirement for the MS in Criminology

MS students on a terminal track who do not wish to be considered for admission into a doctoral program have the option of taking 6 hours of any graduate classes as electives in lieu of the writing requirement.

Required Courses: 15 hours

CRIM 6300: Proseminar in Criminology

CRIM 6303: Etiology of Crime and Criminality

CRIM 6311: Crime and Justice Policy

EPPS 6310: Research Design I

EPPS 6313: Introduction to Quantitative Methods

Elective Courses: 15 hours

15 hours in Elective Criminology graduate courses, including up to 6 hours in any program or school outside Criminology

and 6 hours of graduate electives (online, in any program or school)
or 6 hours of CRIM 8V01 (for independent study project-directed by a faculty member)

Executive Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership

33 hours minimum

Program Faculty

Professors: Bruce A. Jacobs, James W. Marquart, Alex R. Piquero, Nicole Leeper Piquero, Robert W. Taylor, John L. Worrall

Clinical Professor: Elmer Polk

Associate Professors: Denise Paquette Boots, Tomislav Kovandzic, Robert G. Morris II, Sheryl L. Skaggs, Lynne M. Vieraitis

Assistant Professors: James C. Barnes, Nadine Connell

Clinical Assistant Professor: Timothy M. Bray

Mission

The mission of the Executive Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership program at the University of Texas at Dallas is to:

  1. Deliver high-quality education to working professionals who in turn will examine the role of leadership within justice agencies and organizations.
  2. Prepare students to evaluate and apply relevant research findings on leadership and administration to lead, influence, and manage others in an increasingly diverse workforce and work environment.
  3. Advance the understanding of the consequences of change within justice organizations, and lead and manage personnel in periods of organizational change.
  4. Prepare students to apply relevant techniques of leadership, management, conflict resolution, and negotiation when confronted with change and subsequent conflict in justice and related organizations.

Objectives

The Executive Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership (MS-JAL) is housed in the Department of Criminology and provides students with a coherent and intellectually challenging degree that prepares a new generation of leaders to manage and administer justice and other social service organizations. The program will deliver an innovative and integrated curriculum that connects such key components of leadership and administration in the justice setting as policy implementation and analysis, organizational behavior and change, planning and decision-making, and legal issues and conflict resolution to prepare students for supervisory and executive positions.

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS), the University's Computer Labs, and computing facilities in the Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM). EPPS has two computing laboratories which have over 30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including EViews, R, RATS, SPSS and Stata. A computerized geographic information system, the LexisNexis database, and Westlaw are also available for student use. The University's Computer Labs provide personal computers and UNIX workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library's and School's memberships in numerous organizations.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate teaching and research assistantships will not be available.

Admissions Requirement

The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page (catalog.utdallas.edu/2013/graduate/admission).

The Executive Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership (MS-JAL) seeks applications from students with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college. Although applications will be reviewed holistically, in general, entering students have earned a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). Students should also submit an on-line application, all transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a resume, and a one-to-two page essay outlining the applicant's background, education, and professional objectives. Applications are reviewed by the MS-JAL Program Director and appropriate faculty in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.

Prerequisites

For the Executive Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership, students with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Public Administration, and general business will have the necessary foundation for the master's degree. Students who lack this foundation should complete the following undergraduate courses at UT Dallas or their equivalents at another institution: CRIM 3302 Advanced Criminology, CRIM 3303 Advanced Criminal Justice, and CRIM 3304 Research Methods in Crime and Justice Studies. Prospective students with concerns about their preparation for the program are encouraged to consult with the program director.

Degree Requirements

The University's general degree requirements are discussed on the Graduate Policies and Procedures page (catalog.utdallas.edu/2013/graduate/policies/policy).

Students seeking an Executive Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership degree must complete 33 semester credit hours of coursework in the program. The Core curriculum includes 15 hours in criminal justice policy and criminology, 9 hours in public administration and practice courses, 6 hours in legal aspects of administration and dispute resolution, and 3 hours of independent research acting as a capstone project to satisfy a writing requirement. Students must achieve at least an overall grade point average of 3.0 to graduate.

Core Courses: 33 hours

Criminology (15 hours)

CRIM 6311 Crime and Justice Policy

CRIM 6390 Administration of Justice Agencies

CRIM 6395 Contemporary Issues in Justice Administration

CRIM 6399 Capstone in Justice Administration

CRIM 6xxx Elective

Public Administration (9 hours)

PA 6316 Leadership in Public and Nonprofit Management

PA 6345 Human Resource Management

PA 6351 Introduction to Homeland Security

Legal Aspects and Dispute Resolutions (6 hours)

CRIM 6312 Legal Aspects of Justice Administration

OB 6332 Negotiation and Dispute Resolutions

Capstone Course Requirement: 3 hours

PA 6399 Capstone in Public Affairs (this course will involve research problem specification, literature review, research design, analysis and presentation)

Other courses may substitute for those listed with the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education or the Executive MS-JAL Director.

Updated: 2019-08-09 13:08:25 v2.1890ac