The graduate program in Criminology leads to the master of arts (MA) degree. The academic goal of the plan is to provide students with a comprehensive, in-depth understanding of crime: why it occurs, how it is measured, and how it might be controlled. An additional goal is to help students develop the skills needed to obtain successful careers within the criminal justice system or advance in their current careers.

Applicants should have strong undergraduate preparation in the Behavioral Sciences; those with less than 12 upper-level hours are required to take additional undergraduate course work at UHCL.

Application for Admission

Applicants must complete a university Application for Admission on line and submit all required fees and documents (transcripts and GRE –Graduate Record Exam- scores) directly to the Admissions Office:

Admissions University of Houston-Clear Lake

2700 Bay Area Blvd. Houston, 77058

http:/www.uhcl.edu/admissions

IMPORTANT ADMISSION NOTE—Beginning with the Spring 2007 semester, in order to be accepted into a graduate degree plan in the School of Human Sciences and Humanities, applicants must have a minimum of a 3.000 cumulative grade point average (gpa) in their last 60 hours of undergraduate course work. Those applicants who are certain that they meet the minimum cumulative gpa requirement are not required to take the GRE. Students whose cumulative gpa falls below 3.000 may still be considered for admission into a graduate degree program. They must submit scores from the Verbal and Quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). To be admitted into degree candidacy in HSH, students must have a minimum score of 2050 using the following formula: (gpa in the last 60 hours x 500) + GRE Verbal + GRE Quantitative = 2050 or higher. In order to have adequate time to review applicants’ material, the Application for Admission, transcripts for all prior college course work and GRE scores (if necessary) must be received by the Office of Admissions according to the following deadlines:

Fall Enrollment August 1

Spring Enrollment December 1

Summer Enrollment May 1

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 12 graduate credits earned at another institution may be applied toward the M.A. degree if the following requirements are met:

• The course or courses are pertinent to the degree objective and the Plan of Studies.
• The course or courses were taken not more than five years before admission to graduate study at UHCL.
• Grades of "B-" or better were earned; Grades of "C+" and below are not acceptable.
• The course or courses were not applied to a graduate degree already earned.
• The course or courses were not taken by correspondence or extension.
• At least 24 credits of the degree program must be earned at UHCL.

Master of Arts In Criminology

A minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work or an acceptable score on the GRE (Graduate Record Exam).

• A minimum of 12 upper-level hours of prerequisite training in Behavioral Sciences (Criminology, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work). If this requirement has not been met prior to admission, then such courses must be taken before beginning work toward the M.A. degree.
• A minimum of 36 hours, at least 30 of which must be earned in courses at the 5000 or 6000 level.
• Six hours in Research Design and Statistical Measurement:
• CRIM 5036 Research Design & Statistical Measurements I AND
• CRIM 5037 Research Design & Statistical Measurements II
• This degree requires 36 semester credit hours with a thesis, project or internship; or 39 hours with the course work option.

Master of Arts in Criminology Required Courses:

The following are the required core courses for Criminology

15 Hours
CRIM 5136          Race and Crime                                3 hours
CRIM 5331          Advanced Criminology                       3 hours
CRIM 5536          Law and Society                               3 hours
CRIM 5333          Minorities and Majorities                    3 hours
CRIM 5036          Research Design and Statistics I        3 hours
CRIM 5037          Research Design and Statistics II       3 hours

Two Courses Selected From: 6 hours
CRIM 5133                 Advanced Juvenile Delinquency
CRIM 5139                Correctional Institutions
CRIM 5338                Criminal Law
CRIM 5432                Sociology of Law Enforcement

Criminology Electives: 9 hours
(from this list or others approved by faculty)

CRIM 5137         Prevention and Control of Crime
CRIM 5138         Homeland Security
CRIM 5135         Death Penalty
CRIM 5332         White Collar Crime
CRIM 5333         Computer Crime
CRIM 5334         Social Stratification
CRIM 5335         Criminal Justice and Mass Media
CRIM 5339         Comparative Criminology
CRIM 5431         Domestic Violence
CRIM 5433         Serial Murder
CRIM 6734         Future of Crime and Justice

*Any course from the Core list not used for the Core requirement

Master’s Option
Choose one with faculty approval: 6 hours

CRIM 6739      Internship
CRIM 6839      ProjectCRIM 6939 Thesis OR

Course work Option: 9 hours
CRIM 6735     Seminar and six additional hours of electives

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