The School of Criminal Justice and the School of Public Administration have a joint degree program culminating in both a Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) and a Master of Public Administration (MPA). The joint degree program prepares graduate students for overlapping careers in criminal justice and public management. It is intended to prepare students for positions in public, private, and nonprofit organizations that require both criminal justice and management knowledge. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in significantly less time than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively. Important criteria relating to the joint degree program are as follows:
Candidates to the joint degree program must meet the entrance requirements established by each individual program. Candidates must indicate in the application their intention to pursue the joint degree option. Students deciding to pursue the joint degree option after having been admitted to one program will indicate this intention only on their second application.
Applications for a joint degree will not be accepted from candidates who have already completed either degree. MSCJ or MPA students must apply and be admitted by no later than the second to last semester in which they are expected to complete their original degree requirements.
Joint degree candidates will not receive either degree until all requirements for both programs have been satisfied. Students deciding against completing a second degree must satisfy all first degree program requirements as if the student had never been a joint degree candidate.