Student Experience

As Patricia Mitchell and colleagues note in their 2018 Guide to Graduate School Success for Criminal Justice, Public Safety, & Administration of Justice Students, deciding to pursue a graduate degree is an individual decision and only you know what is best. They suggest considering the following points (as seen on p. 7).

• Are you able to submit a strong application?
• Do you have the time and patience to dedicate to graduate school?
• Will it financially benefit you in the long run?
• Will it help you meet your career goals?

About MSCJS Degree

• UND’s Master of Science in Criminal Justice Studies (MSCJS) Degree Information
• UND allows prospective students to estimate their tuition and fees online. Visit the UND School of Graduate Studies webpage for additional information on financial aid, funding, assistantships, and scholarship opportunities. Note, currently the Department of Criminal Justice is unable to offer tuition waivers or paid assistantships.
• Department of Criminal Justice admission requirements
• School of Graduate Studies admission requirements
• Apply

Questions

For questions about the admissions process or application, contact gradschooladmissions@UND.edu

For questions about the MSCJS program, contact Adam Matz, Graduate Director

Suggested Readings

Ahlin, E. M., & Atkin-Plunk, C. (2020). From supporting role to front stage: Shining a spotlight on the programmatic features and experiences of master’s degree programs in criminology and criminal justice. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 31(4), 563-579.

Cullen, F. T., & Vose, B. (2014). How to be a successful graduate student. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 30(4), 362-377.

Mitchell, P., Bradbury, M. D., Marcum, C. D., & Schmalleger, F. (2019). A guide to graduate school success for criminal justice, public safety, & administration of justice students. Cognella.*

*A limited number of free copies of this book (digital or physical) are available, contact me at email below if interested!

Graduate Student Checklist

Looking to defer enrollment to a later semester? Submit a Move Admission Request.

Degree Requirements

Recommended Course Enrollment

The following courses are recommended primarily for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 for first-year graduate students, with exception to CJ 995 (for past cohorts refer to the prior version of this handbook that matches your starting semester). Students may enroll in other graduate-level courses for electives outside the department with consultation of the graduate director (see list of suggestions below). Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing.

Fall 2025 Criminal Justice Department Scheduled Course Offerings

• CJ 501: Foundations in Crime and Criminal Justice
  • Thursdays 6 - 8:30 p.m CT
  • Instructor: Rachel Jordan
  • Sections: 19711 (in-person) or 19715 (online)
• CJ 502: Theories of Crime
  • Tuesdays 6 - 8:30 p.m. CT
  • Instructor: Jon Maskály
  • Sections: 25688 (in-person) or 25689 (online)
• CJ 594: Practicum: Research (elective)
  • Independent Study
  • Instructor: Ashley Fansher
  • Section: 32747

Spring 2026 Criminal Justice Department Scheduled Course Offerings

• CJ 505: Administrative Decision Making in CJ
  • Tuesdays 6 - 8:30 p.m. CT
  • Instructor: Wendelin Hume
  • Sections: 31736 (in-person) or 31737 (online)
• CJ 540: Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy
  • Thursdays 6 - 8:30 p.m. CT
  • Instructor: Meghan Mitchell
  • Sections: 31734 (in-person) or 31735 (online)
• CJ 995: Scholarly Project (2nd year students)
  • Wednesdays 6 - 8:30 p.m. CT
  • Instructor: Jon Maskály
  • Sections: 26312 (in-person) or 26313 (online)

Note. For a complete list of course offerings and descriptions for this program, see the Academic Catalog. Course scheduling subject to change, check Campus Connection for latest information.

^*Classes are held in O’Kelly Conference Rm 231 unless otherwise specified by a given course instructor

Fall 2025

• CJ 501: Foundations in Crime and Criminal Justice
• CJ 502: Theories of Crime
• [Elective] (e.g., CJ 594, FS 520)

Spring 2026

• CJ 505: Administrative Decision Making in Criminal Justice
• [Elective] (e.g., CJ 540)
• [Elective]

Fall 2026

• CJ 503: Research Methods in Criminal Justice 
• CJ 998: Thesis OR [Elective]
• [Elective] 

Spring 2027

• CJ 504: Visualization and Interpretation of Criminal Justice Data
• CJ 995: Scholarly Project OR CJ 998: Thesis
• [Elective] 

In consultation with the graduate director, complete the Program of Study form by the conclusion of your second semester. The following considerations pertain to the completion of this form.

1. Transfer Credits: Up to nine credits of transfer may be accepted toward the degree. For more information see Transfer of Graduate Credits under Academic Policies and Procedures. Transfer credits must be identified on the second page of the Program of Study.
2. Cognate/Minor Requirements: There are no Cognate or Minor requirements for this program.
3. Determine Thesis or Non-Thesis (Scholarly Project).
   • If Non-Thesis/Scholarly Project: Must enroll in CJ 995 (3 credits) during your second Spring semester, as well as complete one additional elective (3 credits). On the Program of Study, the graduate director will also serve as the advisor.
   • If Thesis: Student must identify an advisor from the Department of Criminal Justice graduate faculty and two additional committee members.
     • Thesis Advisor: Identify a thesis advisor from among the criminal justice graduate faculty, as listed below. It is recommended that students consider what focal area of criminal justice most matches their research interests, as well as potential research questions, and then match those interests with a compatible faculty member (consider reviewing past theses through the UND Chester Fritz Library). Review faculty expertise using the UND directory (as linked below). Once a suitable advisor is located, contact them to schedule a meeting to discuss your prospective thesis.
       • Ashley Fansher
       • Wendelin Hume
       • Roni Mayzer
       • Jon Maskály
       • Adam K. Matz
       • Meghan Mitchell
     • Committee Members: Select two additional thesis committee members. The two committee members may be from among the criminal justice graduate faculty (listed above) but may also include graduate faculty from other programs. A member-at-large is not a requirement for a thesis committee (per Academic Policies and Procedures on Faculty Advisor and Committee Appointments located in the Academic Catalog). It is recommended students select their committee members in consultation with their thesis advisor.
4. Important dates and deadlines for each semester are available on the Academic Calendar.
5. For UND undergraduate students admitted to the 4+1 accelerated track, an Accelerated/Combined Program of Study form must be completed. This program allows high-achieving undergraduates at UND the opportunity to begin taking courses towards their MSCJS during their senior year of undergraduate study.
6. A Joint MSCJS/JD program is also available, allowing some courses in the MSCJS to count towards a juris doctorate (JD) degree and some JD courses to count towards the MSCJS. Interested students must apply and be accepted by both programs.

A suggested timeline and milestones for thesis completion is outlined below.

Semester 1

• Decide if you would prefer thesis or scholarly project
• Identify potential topic/ area of interest/ research question(s)

Semester 2

• Identify advisor
• Identify two committee members
• Complete Program of Study form

Semester 3

• Enroll in CJ 998 (3 cr.)
• Complete prospectus
• Obtain approvals (IRB), if applicable
• Complete Topic Proposal form

Semester 4

• Enroll in CJ 998 (3 cr.)
• Complete draft and obtain feedback
• Obtain preliminary approval and schedule oral defense
• Complete final defense

Suitable Electives

Support your interests by choosing electives from outside of the Department of Criminal Justice.

Counseling Psychology

• COUN 504 Foundations of Counseling
• COUN 529 Dynamics of Addiction
• COUN 532 Multicultural Counseling
• COUN 537 Trauma and Crisis Counseling

Political Science

• POLS 532 Public Policy
• POLS 551 Health Administration and Organization
• POLS 552 Health Policy

Psychology

• PSYC 521 Diversity Psychology
• PSYC 524 Psychology and Law

Public Health

• PH 504 Public Health Management, Planning, and Health Care Systems
• PH 551 Epidemiology
• PH 582 Social & Ecological Determinants of Indigenous Health
• PH 583 American Indian Health Policy

Social Work

• SWK 560 Topics of Social Work Practice

Sociology

• SOC 538 Seminar in Social Problems
• SOC 539 Seminar in Sociology
• SOC 540 Seminar in Social Policy

Degree Requirements

1. During the third semester (Fall 2026):
   • Prospectus and Topic Proposal: In consultation with thesis advisor, develop a draft of the first three chapters of the thesis including introduction/statement of the problem, review of the literature, and project design/methodology/analysis plan (review Style Guide from the School of Graduate Studies). With advisor’s approval, conduct an oral prospectus defense with the committee. With the committee’s approval, obtain required approval for human subjects research from the UND Institutional Review Board (IRB) (see Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee [IACUC] for animal research or Institutional Biosafety Committee [IBC] for biohazardous material), if applicable. Once approvals are received, complete the Topic Proposal This form must be completed the semester prior to the semester in which the student intends to graduate.
2. During the fourth/final semester (Spring 2027):
   • See Thesis and Dissertation Support from the School of Graduate Studies. In addition, consider the following.
     • Timeline Considerations/Recommendations: Allow adequate time for your advisor to review a draft of the thesis (2-4 weeks). In addition, expect at least one month for your committee to review your thesis prior to attempting to schedule a date for the final defense. Given faculty schedules often conflict, however, be sure to set the schedule as soon as possible once the committee indicates they are comfortable proceeding. Note, the Preliminary Approval and Notice of Defense form must be submitted two weeks prior to the scheduled oral defense (typically mid-April/November at the latest). See the Academic Calendar for specific deadlines.
     • If Unable to Complete the Thesis on Time: In addition to Spring, Summer (August) graduation is an option, if progress on the thesis is delayed, contingent on faculty availability. Excluding summers, CJ 996 Continuing Enrollment credits allow students to stay enrolled in the program while finishing their thesis. According to the School of Graduate Studies, 6-9 credits for two semesters is the maximum allowed for master’s students.

Apply for Graduation

Other Recommendations

Students are encouraged to participate in UND’s Graduate Research Achievement Day (GRAD) and/or Three Minute Thesis (3MT) opportunities to further showcase their thesis or scholarly project! Presentations at academic conferences such as the annual meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) or American Society of Criminology (ASC) are also highly encouraged!

Links to UND Resources and Policies

1. Academic Catalog
2. Code of Student Life
3. Equal Opportunity & Title IX (for questions and reporting on safety, violence, discrimination, harassment, disability support)
4. Graduate Academic Calendar
5. International Student & Scholar Services 
6. Policies on Misconduct in Scholarship
7. Office of the Registrar (for information on course enrollment, grades, and more)
8. Office of Community Standards & Care Network
9. Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
10. Financial Aid & Scholarships (visit here to sign up for scholarship opportunities from UND!)
11. State Board of Higher Education Policies (North Dakota University System)
12. University Counseling Center

Links to UND School of Graduate Studies Resources and Policies

1. Academic Grievance Policies
2. Academic Policies and Procedures
3. Admission Policies and Procedures
4. Degrees and Degree Requirements
5. Handbooks, Forms, and Resources (see Arts & Sciences section for forms such as Leave of Absence and Program Withdrawal)
6. School of Graduate Studies Information
7. Standards of Professional Conduct (Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, a GPA Calculator is available).

Other Links

1. Careers Opportunities at UND (see Student Jobs here for graduate research assistant opportunities from various faculty)
2. College of Arts & Sciences Webpage
3. Department of Criminal Justice Webpage
4. Grand Forks Visitor Website (learn more about the city of Grand Forks here!)
5. Laura Bassi Scholarship (funding opportunity outside of UND for editorial assistance on thesis)