Elective Courses
Students must complete 9-15 credit hours of electives, depending on field study requirements and Capstone or Thesis selection. Elective courses include a mixture of specialized courses, workshops, and other formats. Students may choose to focus these elective hours around a particular area based on their interests and career goals. Where appropriate, students may include specialized courses offered by other departments and schools of the University, with prior written approval of the MCJ Program Director.
Field Study in Criminal Justice
Students who have not had at least one year of professional experience in a criminal justice organization are required to complete CJ 6910 Field Study in Criminal Justice. A minimum of 240 hours of supervised work is required to earn 3 hours of credit. Students must have completed at least 9 hours of coursework to enroll in Field Study.
Capstone Requirements: Capstone or Thesis
MCJ students are required to complete either the Capstone Seminar or Master’s Thesis as their culminating experience.
Capstone Seminar
In CJ 5361 Capstone Seminar, students work with a client in a criminal justice agency to identify a problem and then, using the knowledge and skills they have gained in the program, carry out a project and write a paper to address the problem. The Capstone Seminar requires three hours of credit and should be taken after all core courses have been completed with a grade of B- or better, and preferably during the final semester in the MCJ program. Students are advised to complete CJ 5003 Research Methods the semester prior to completing the Capstone Seminar, ideally using the methods course to formulate a project proposal, contact a second reader, and begin an Institutional Review Board (IRB) application. Capstone Seminar is offered ONLY in the fall and spring semesters.
Students should complete the following steps the semester prior to enrolling in CJ 5361 Capstone Seminar:
- Attend a Capstone Seminar workshop hosted by the School of Public Affairs.
- Identify a partner agency for the Capstone project.
- Obtain an agreement from a UCCS faculty member to serve as a second reader on the Capstone project.
- Draft a proposal and IRB application for the Capstone project (may be completed in CJ 5003 Research Methods).
- Work with the Capstone Seminar instructor to submit an IRB proposal for review prior to the start of the semester in which they will enroll in the Capstone Seminar.
Thesis
In CJ 6950 Master’s Thesis, students conduct a comprehensive review of the theoretical and research literature in the subject area of their thesis and collect original data or analyze existing data in new ways. The thesis requires six hours of credit that normally spans two semesters. The thesis option is available to MCJ students who have achieved an exceptional academic record and who wish to pursue independent research in greater depth than would normally be possible in Capstone Seminar. It is suited for students who intend to pursue a PhD degree or to enter a research or policy environment upon completion of the MCJ degree.
Minimum eligibility requirements for pursuing a thesis include:
- Matriculation in the MCJ program
- Successful completion of all core courses
- Overall GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Demonstrated ability to pursue research work, as evidenced by two submitted research papers developed in SPA courses or elsewhere
- Preliminary identification of a thesis topic or area of interest
- Agreement from a SPA faculty member to serve as the thesis committee chair along with two additional faculty members to serve on the thesis committee
Minor exceptions to the above criteria may be made in exceptional circumstances.
A student wishing to undertake the thesis option applies formally through her/his faculty advisor, first, to establish eligibility with respect to the above criteria, and second, to identify appropriate faculty members to serve on the student’s three-person thesis committee. Before the student is allowed to enroll in CJ 6950 Master’s Thesis, the thesis committee must formally approve a written thesis proposal, which includes a thesis plan, a preliminary literature review, problem statement, and a timetable for completion.
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