Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice Studies
Admission Requirements
In addition to the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the following requirements must be met by all applicants with the exception of those applying under the J.D./Ph.D. specialization:
- A master’s degree in criminal justice or a related field.
- A cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.0 for all coursework taken for graduate credit.
- Achieve a minimum combined score of 300 on the verbal and quantitative components of the revised Graduate Record Exam (GRE), or a minimum combined score of 1,000 on earlier versions of the GRE.
- Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
Combined J.D/Ph.D Option: Students currently enrolled in an ABA accredited law school or individuals with a juris doctorate (J.D.) from an ABA accredited law school may be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program in criminal justice. Interested individuals should contact the graduate program director for details.
Degree Requirements
Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Department of Criminal Justice.
- Complete a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master’s degree.
- Complete 9 semester hours of criminological theory and 15 semester hours of doctoral level research methods/analysis.
- Complete an additional 18 credit hours of electives of which:
- A minimum of 9 elective credits must be taken in criminal justice courses from the approved lists and not previously taken for graduate credit and,
- Up to 9 elective credits, not previously taken for graduate credit, may be selected from any courses approved by the student’s advisory committee and offered for graduate credit at either the University of North Dakota or Minot State University.
- Complete comprehensive examination in criminological theory and research methods/analysis prior to submission and approval of the dissertation prospectus.
- Complete an examination in one area of specialization (to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisory committee).
- Present and defend a dissertation proposal.
- Successfully defend a dissertation.
Required Curriculum:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Theory | ||
| CJ 510 | Historical Perspectives in Criminology (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 511 | Contemporary Perspectives in Criminology (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 515 | Human Nature and Crime (UND) | 3 |
| Methods | ||
| CJ 520 | Topics in Research Methods (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 522 | Qualitative Research Methods in Criminal Justice (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 525 | Advanced Quantitative Methods/Analysis (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 526 | Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 690 | (MiSU) | 3 |
| Electives (18 Credits, 9 of which must be from the following list) * | ||
| CJ 535 | Seminar in Juvenile Justice (UND) | 3 |
| or CJ 635 (MISU) | ||
| CJ 540 | Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy (UND) | 3 |
| or CJ 640 (MISU) | ||
| CJ 545 | Seminar in Rural Justice Issues (UND) | 3 |
| or CJ 645 (MISU) | ||
| CJ 555 | Seminar in Tribal Justice Systems (UND) | 3 |
| or CJ 630 (MISU) | ||
| CJ 520 | Topics in Research Methods (MiSU) | 3 |
| CJ 540 | Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy (MiSU) | 3 |
| CJ 530 | (MiSU) | 3 |
| CJ 550 | (MiSU) | 3 |
| CJ 580 | (MiSU) | 3 |
| CJ 516 | Theories of Punishment (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 565 | Victimology (UND) | 3 |
| CJ 592 | (MiSU) | 3 |
| CJ 999 | Dissertation (UND) | 18 |
| Total Program Hours | 60 | |
- *
In consultation with the student’s Advisory Committee, up to nine elective credits, not previously taken during studies leading to an M.A. or M.S. degree, may be selected from any courses approved for graduate credit at either the University of North Dakota or Minot State University.
J.D./PH.D. Specialization
Option 1: Students who have successfully completed all requirements from an ABA accredited law school and have been awarded a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree may complete the Ph.D. in Criminal Justice through meeting the Theory and Methods/Statistics requirements of the doctoral program, successfully passing the comprehensive examination, and successfully defending a dissertation.
Option 2: Students currently enrolled in an ABA accredited law school may also complete requirements for the J.D./Ph.D. option. These students must successfully complete the Theory and Methods/Statistics components of the doctoral program, the comprehensive examination, and defend a dissertation. Students on this track must receive their J.D. prior to or coincident with receipt of their Ph.D.