Criminal Justice Policy and Administration

The M.P.S. in CJPA degree program capitalizes on Penn State’s strengths as a premier research institution to provide an advanced professional degree in criminal justice policy and administration. Combining theory and applied research, this degree allows professionals and students entering the work force to gain graduate level expertise in this growing, applied field of study. The degree caters to professionals in criminal justice (broadly, policing, courts, corrections, probation/parole, and treatment), government, administration, and offender or victim services.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Educational Background

Students who do not have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the quality of their overall application. Work experience will be considered for applicants who have more than two years of experience in a related field.

Core Application Packet

• Completed official online Graduate School application and payment of a nonrefundable application fee.
• Statement of purpose: a 2-3 page essay articulating career and educational goals that demonstrate the student’s written communication skills and describes their background with basic statistics education and/or usage.
• A current curriculum vitae (vita) or résumé.
• Three letters of recommendation that attest to the student’s readiness for graduate study. Letters must be submitted through the online application system. Within the online application you will be asked to enter the names and email addresses of three individuals who will be providing your recommendation. Those individuals will receive a note via email asking them to complete a brief form that will serve as your recommendation. Please inform all recommenders they must submit the form in order for your application to be complete.
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.

Degree Requirements

Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies.

The 30-credit program of study emphasizes social science perspectives to the study of criminal justice. The degree consists of core courses (18 credits) and allows students to choose from among several electives. 

Total required credits for the M.P.S.: 30 credits. At least 18 credits must be completed at the 500 level or 800 level, with at least 6 credits at the 500 level.

1

Students will have the opportunity to tailor their program of study to their interests by choosing from a list of elective courses. The elective courses will be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor. The list of approved elective courses is maintained by the graduate program office.

The capstone course provides students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge from their courses to a project. The choice of project topic and exact form will be mutually determined by faculty mentors and the student. For example, the capstone experience could be an academic research project, an evidence-based policy evaluation, or the development of a program. The student will work with a faculty mentor/adviser on a capstone project that will be written up as a capstone report. Students are expected to utilize theories, literature, and methods acquired during other courses in the M.P.S. in Criminal Justice Policy and Administration. The report will be formally presented to peers in the M.P.S. and faculty members at the end of the semester. The capstone report must be approved by the faculty mentor/adviser as meeting the course requirements.

Course Substitutions

Substitutions for the above prescribed courses, either with resident-education courses, alternate online courses, or courses from other institutions, will be considered on a case-by-case basis subject to restrictions outlined in GCAC-309 Transfer Credit. Course substitutions must be petitioned and approved in advance by the Chair/Co-Chair, with input from the student’s adviser.

Integrated Undergrad-Grad Programs

Integrated B.A./ B.S. in Criminology and M.P.S. in Criminal Justice Policy and Administration

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-210 Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Degree Programs.

This Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate program (IUG) provides an opportunity for academically strong students to complete a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Criminology and a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree in Criminal Justice Policy and Administration (CJPA) in approximately five years of study.    

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Before applying to the Graduate School, students must have completed entrance to their undergraduate major and have completed no less than 60 credits. Students must be admitted no later than the end of the second week of the semester preceding the semester of expected conferral of the undergraduate degree. Transfer students must have completed at least 15 credits at Penn State to enroll in an IUG.

Admission is selective based on criteria established by the leadership of the CJPA MPS program and Criminology major. Though exceptions are possible, student applicants will generally have a minimum overall GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale). Students are admitted to the IUG based on good progress in their major, success in statistics, data analysis, and research methods courses (evidenced by letter grades of B+ or greater in the required Criminology courses of CRIM 249 and CRIM 250W), faculty recommendations (two letters), GPA and a 2-page statement of purpose explaining why they want to participate in this program and why they are qualified to do so.  Concurrent with application to the IUG program, students must apply to the program via the Graduate School application for admission and must meet all the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the CJPA graduate program for the M.P.S. degree.

Advising

Students admitted to the program are advised by co-advisers, one from each participating unit. Each student will have an adviser in CJPA who will work with the student and an adviser in Criminology to ensure successful completion of the degree. The co-advisers will help the student prepare the initial plan of study, and assist in making changes and approving the student’s plan of study each semester during the advising period.

Sequence of Courses

During the first three years of study students will follow the basic course sequence provided for by the existing B.A. or B.S. plan in Criminology. In the fourth year of study they will take three courses that will count both toward the B.A. or B.S. in Criminology and count for the CJPA M.P.S. three elective courses. These courses will be chosen from among the list of CJPA electives.   

Plan of Study

Prior to being admitted to the program, and in consultation with their Criminology and CJPA advisers, students must prepare a detailed plan of study for years 4 and 5 of the program. The plan is periodically reviewed by the student and advisers, and revised as necessary. Students must sequence their courses so all undergraduate degree requirements are fulfilled before taking courses to count solely towards the graduate degree. 

Degree Requirements

Students must fulfill all degree requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the double-counting of credits as outlined below. Degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Criminology are listed in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Degree requirements for the Master of Professional Studies in Criminal Justice Policy and Administration degree are listed on the Degree Requirements tab. If students accepted into the IUG program are unable to complete the M.S. degree, they are still eligible to receive their undergraduate degree if all the undergraduate degree requirements have been satisfied.

Students are expected to complete the undergraduate degree requirements within the typical time to degree for the undergraduate major. In the semester in which the undergraduate degree requirements will be completed, IUG students must apply to graduate, and the undergraduate degree should be conferred at the next appropriate Commencement.
 
Up to 12 credits may be double-counted towards the degree requirements for both the graduate and undergraduate degrees; a minimum of 50% of the double-counted courses must be at the 500 or 800 level. Independent study courses and credits associated with the culminating experience for the graduate degree cannot be double-counted.

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policy GCAC-218 Minors.

Student Aid

World Campus students in graduate degree programs may be eligible for financial aid. Refer to the Tuition and Financial Aid section of the World Campus website for more information.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Criminal Justice Policy and Administration (CJPA) Course List

Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation from this program, students should be able to:

• Describe and summarize crime rates, trends, and patterns, and apply foundational knowledge of criminological theories devoted to explaining crime. This objective coincides with goals # 1, # 2, and # 3 of the Graduate School, by teaching students core disciplinary knowledge, and requiring its application and communication.
• Describe organizational structures, processes, and challenges of criminal justice institutions, and analyze past and current criminal justice policies and evidence-based practices. This objective coincides with goals # 1, # 2, and # 3 of the Graduate School, by teaching students core disciplinary knowledge, and requiring its application and communication.
• Apply the foundations of contemporary ethical practices and effective leadership in the criminal justice profession. This objective coincides with goal #5 above of the Graduate School by requiring students to learn and engage in ethical research and practice in criminal justice.
• Employ advanced knowledge in social science research and applied statistical methods, specifically focused on criminal justice issues. This objective coincides with goals # 2 and # 4 of the Graduate School, by teaching students social science research methods, and requiring their use in studying criminal justice topics.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of criminal procedure. This objective coincides with goal # 1 of the Graduate School, in that it emphasizes the learning of core disciplinary knowledge in criminal justice.  

Contact