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Graduate Catalog

Criminal Justice

Department of Social Sciences

Director: Hannarae Lee, Ph.D.

The graduate Criminal Justice Program combines a strong background in criminal justice with the management skills needed for an administrative position in a criminal justice agency. The program is designed for those who wish to assume, or already hold, a criminal justice management position, as well as for those who wish to pursue doctoral work elsewhere after completing their Marywood degree.

Coursework in the program provides:

  • a background in American criminal justice institutions;
  • a knowledge of the causes of delinquency and crime, the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs, and the research on which this knowledge is based;
  • an evaluation of contemporary criminal justice research and policy;
  • experience with appropriate management tools;
  • opportunities to communicate complex ideas orally and in writing, and to further develop analytic and critical skills.

Program faculty combine strong academic credentials with extensive experience of criminal justice agencies at the state and federal levels. Classes are small, typically seminars, in which students assume responsibility with the instructor for the presentation of material. The program offers substantial opportunities for students to explore their individual interests in criminal justice and closely related fields.

Financial aid, including the opportunity to work closely with program faculty as a graduate assistant, is available.

Criminal Justice Program

An undergraduate major in criminal justice, sociology, or a related field is recommended, but not required. (Students without an undergraduate course in criminology, delinquency, or deviance and those without an undergraduate course in statistics or social research will be asked to complete an undergraduate course before taking advanced, graduate work in these areas.) An undergraduate Q.P.A. of 3.0 or better is required.

A completed application must include:

  • official, unopened transcripts from all institutions attended, including Marywood;
  • two letters of recommendation from college or university faculty (these may be supplemented with recommendations from supervisors in a criminal justice agency);
  • an essay discussing the applicant’s career objectives and the way in which the CJ Master’s program will contribute to these objectives.