Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
School of Applied Sciences, University of Mississippi

Master of Criminal Justice: Policy & Practice (In-Person)

All students in the Policy & Practice program option must complete the following degree requirements:

  1. Complete all four (4) core classes with grades of B- or above
  2. Complete four (4) elective courses in Criminal Justice Policy & Practice track.
  3. Complete one (1) additional research- or statistics-based elective
  4. Six (6) credit hours to fulfill degree culmination requirements: either thesis, capstone, or
    practicum option (capstone option requires completion of one additional elective course)
  5. Students can take up to six (6) credit hours of online 8-week classes

Core Classes

All students are required to take the following 16-week courses. Students cannot take the online version of these courses:

  1. CJ 600: Criminal Justice Administration
  2. CJ 601: Criminal Justice Statistics
  3. CJ 602: Criminal Justice Research Methods
  4. CJ 624: Theories of Criminal Behavior

Policy & Practice Emphasis Classes:

Students choose four (4) of the following courses for the Policy & Practice program option. Each course is 3 credit hours.

  1. CJ 620: Criminal Justice in American Society: Policy & Practice
  2. CJ 621: Seminar in Law Enforcement
  3. CJ 622: Seminar in Courts and Sentencing
  4. CJ 623: Seminar in Corrections
  5. CJ 642: Cyber Crime & Cybersecurity
  6. CJ 641: Transnational Crime
  7. CJ 643: Legal Issues in Criminal Justice*
  8. CJ 646: Special Topics in Criminal Justice*
  9. CJ 649: Independent Study*
  10. CJ 661: Criminal Justice Policy & Program Evaluation
  11. CJ 664: GIS and Crime Mapping Analysis

*May be taken 2 times with a different topic.

Research and/or Statistics Electives:

Students must complete one (1) research or statistics elective course. The following list of
courses meet this requirement.** Each course is 3 credit hours. Students may take a research or statistics course outside of these options (including courses outside the department) with department approval.

  1. CJ 661: Criminal Justice Policy & Program Evaluation
  2. CJ 662: Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy Evaluation
  3. CJ 663: Special Topics in Criminal Justice Statistics & Research*
  4. CJ 664: GIS and Crime Mapping Analysis

*May be taken 2 times with a different topic.
**Some courses may be taken for either the Policy & Practice elective or to fulfill the research/statistics elective.

Degree Culmination Options:

Student must complete one of the following options to complete their degree:

  1. CJ 693: Capstone Course; 3 credit hours.
    • Students review, research, and evaluate a criminal justice, emergency management, or homeland security policy or issue resulting in a systematic review paper. Students must complete this course with a grade of B- or above. Students must take one (1) additional elective if choosing this option.
  2. CJ 690: Practicum; 6 credit hours.
    • In partnership with the agency, student must fulfill a tangible and specific project. Examples may include, policy analysis/evaluation, creating a database for the agency, building a website, written report, etc. Students must submit proposal for project, approved by graduate committee. Project must demonstrate application of graduate-level skills and knowledge. After project is completed, student will present report to graduate committee.
  3. CJ 697: Thesis – Traditional thesis option; 6 credits hours.