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Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice

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Graduate Programs

We offer three courses of study for graduate students: Ph.D., master's, or dual master's and J.D. Graduates of these programs will be prepared to either continue their studies, or enter teaching, research, or policy-making positions in the criminal justice system.

Ph.D.

The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina offers a program of coursework and research leading to the Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. This program emphasizes criminological theory, criminal justice system operations, research, and policy. The degree program is designed to provide rigorous advanced training to produce highly competent criminology and criminal justice faculty and agency researchers and administrators.

Master's

The Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice program is a professional degree designed to provide criminal justice professionals with coursework in criminal justice system operation, criminology, research methods, and statistics. The degree program provides students with advanced instruction that prepares them to use evidence-based practices in the criminal justice system. Beyond career advancement for practitioners, the masters degree also provides rigorous social science training that prepares students for continued doctoral study.

Dual Master's and J.D.

We work with the University of South Carolina School of Law to offer a combined degree program which permits a student to obtain both the Juris Doctor and the Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice degrees in about 4 years. By combining both programs, the total course load may be reduced by as many as 15 credit hours from that required if the two degrees were earned separately. Up to 6 hours of electives toward the M.A. degree may be taken in law courses and 9 hours of electives toward the J.D. may be earned in the M.A. program.

Prior to obtaining admission to the combined degree program, a student must be admitted to both the School of Law and the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Program Information and Forms

More information on all of the above programs can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook[pdf] and the graduate studies bulletin.

If you are in need of a specific form, such as a graduation application or program of study sheet, these are available in the Graduate School's form library. Forms specific to the Criminology and Criminal Justice department are available below.

 

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