NOTICE: Change in the Criminal Justice specialization

The new Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) degree will be offered beginning Fall 2009! The MSCJ degree will be offered using a combination of face-to-face, online, and blended delivery. Therefore, we are phasing out the Criminal Justice specialization to the MSA.  NO NEW APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER June 2, 2009.  Those who are currently enrolled in this specialization will have the option of transferring into the new MSCJ program or completing their MSA degree with the specialization in Criminal Justice.

For more information email Dr. Matthew Crow at mcrow@uwf.edu or call (850) 857-6371.

About the Criminal Justice Administration Specialization

The MSA with specialization in Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary degree offered entirely online and is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in public, nonprofit and private organizations in the field of juvenile and criminal justice. Coursework also prepares students for admission to doctoral programs and professional schools. Learn more from Dr. Smykla.

For more information on core and specilization requirements, please visit our Online UWF Catalog (PDF).

Academic Learning Plan

Degree Plan and Course Rotation

To assist in planning your courses and for advising: Specialization Course Rotation (PDF).

Student Learning Outcomes

• Identify and discuss the principles of organizational behavior and apply these concepts to the criminal justice system.
• Apply concepts and analytical skills to policy and administrative decisions within an organization and analyze what constitutes organizational effectiveness.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate changes made within a criminal justice agency.
• Use descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze, interpret, and present data.
• Identify and define factors that tend to increase or alleviate conflict within a group and apply knowledge of these factors to an analysis of a given criminal justice situation.
• Present an applied research question or problem that is relevant to a field or discipline.

Admissions Requirements

The Criminal Justice Administration Specialization requirements:

• GRE score prior to admission
• A letter of intent
• Three letters of professional reference

For more specific graduate admissions requirements, visit the Online UWF Catalog.

Scholarship Opportunities

Prior to the beginning of each semester the department will email MSA-CJ students information on availability of the following scholarships: Graduate Merit (PDF); John C. Pace, Jr., Graduate Scholarship (PDF) ; and Criminal Justice Foundation (PDF). Eligibility criteria for each scholarship may be found on the individual scholarship application. Scholarships are contingent upon availability of funds.

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available from the UWF catalog: Specialization Courses and Core Courses

Research Opportunities

Faculty members in Criminal Justice are known for their teaching and research expertise. There are many opportunities for students to assist faculty in historical, theoretical, pedagogical, and applied research, including areas of recent publication and interest:

• Contributions of southern policing to law enforcement
• Ethnicity and crime
• Global positioning satellites and offender monitoring
• Perceptions and attitudes of jail correctional officers
• Privatization and the myth of inherent efficiency
• Restorative Justice
• Sentencing guidelines on judicial discretion
• Serial murder
• Sexual behavior in prisons
• Technology and alternative modes of instructional delivery
• Victimology

Contact Us

Dr. Matthew Crow
Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway, Building 85, Room 160
Pensacola, FL 32514
Voice: 850.857.6371
Fax: 850.474.2334
E-mail: mcrow@uwf.edu

Visit us on the web at www.uwf.edu/justice