Justice, Law and Criminology (MS)

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Offered by the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology , School of Public Affairs , the MS in Justice, Law and Criminology is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the foundations and structure of institutions of justice and law. Students receive a thorough grounding in both empirical and theoretical approaches to public policy issues and take a concentration in either justice and public policy, law and society, jurisprudence and social thought, or terrorism and security policy.

The concentration in justice and public policy provides a theoretical grounding in criminology and coursework in criminal justice, including corrections and policing. This concentration prepares students for a variety of practitioner and research positions in criminal justice, or for advanced graduate work in criminology or criminal justice.

The concentration in jurisprudence and social thought emphasizes philosophical and comparative perspectives on law, providing students with an appreciation of the nature and structural foundations of law and a firm grounding in analytical thought. This concentration serves students who have a background in either the liberal arts or law and are interested in combining the two.

The concentration in law and society provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the role of law in society, including the theoretical foundations of law, the relationship between law and the social sciences, and broad issues of social justice. This concentration prepares students for positions in policy research and analysis or for advanced graduate work in law and society.

The concentration in terrorism and security policy focuses on issues of national security from the perspectives of criminology and criminal justice. This concentration prepares students for a variety of practitioner and research positions in the area of prevention and control of terrorism.

Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of scholastic achievement in their last 60 credit hours of undergraduate work, test scores and two letters of recommendation.

Degree Requirements

33 credit hours of approved graduate work with at least 18 credit hours at the 600-level
One three-hour written comprehensive examination in one of the concentration areas, jurisprudence and social thought, justice and public policy, law and society, or terrorism and security policy. Students must complete foundational seminars and electives in the relevant area before taking the examination
Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00
Concentrations: Jurisprudence and Social Thought; Justice and Public Policy; Law and Society; or Terrorism and Security Policy
Research requirement:
- Jurisprudence and Social Thought: JLC-603 The Rule of Law and Due Process (3) and JLC-604 Foundations of Knowledge (3) with grades of B or better
- Justice and Public Policy: JLC-680 Introduction to Justice Research I (3) and JLC-681 Introduction to Justice Research II (3) with grades of B or better
- Law and Society: JLC-680 Introduction to Justice Research I (3) and JLC-681 Introduction to Justice Research II (3) with grades of B or better, or JLC-680 Introduction to Justice Research I (3) and JLC-797 Master’s Thesis Research (3-6) with grades of B or better and permission of department
- Terrorism and Security Policy: JLC-680 Introduction to Justice Research I (3) and JLC-681 Introduction to Justice Research II (3) with grades of B or better

Course Requirements

Foundation (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following:

Research (6 credit hours)

JLC-603 The Rule of Law and Due Process (3) and
JLC-604 Foundations of Knowledge (3) (Jurisprudence and Social Thought students only)
or
JLC-680 Introduction to Justice Research I (3) and
JLC-681 Introduction to Justice Research II (3)
or
JLC-680 Introduction to Justice Research I (3)
(3) and
JLC-797 Master’s Thesis Research (3-6) (3 credit hours required) (Law and Society students only with permission of department)

Concentrations (21 credit hours)

Complete 21 credit hours from one of the following concentrations:

Jurisprudence and Social Thought

Concentration Courses

Complete 12 credit hours from the following:

JLC-601 Law and Social Sciences (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-602 Legal Theory (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-603 The Rule of Law and Due Process (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-604 Foundations of Knowledge (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-606 Legal History Seminar (3)
JLC-607 Concept of Justice (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-608 The Constitution and Criminal Procedure (3)
JLC-610 Justice and Public Policy: Controversial Issues (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-615 Law and Human Rights (3)
JLC-630 Advanced Seminar in Legal Theory (3)
JLC-631 Advanced Seminar in Social and Political Theory (3)
JLC-635 Gender and the Law (3)
JLC-636 Reproduction and the Law (3)
JLC-638 Race and Justice in America (3)
JLC-648 Law and Religion (3)
JLC-650 Constitutionalism in Historical Perspective (3)
JLC-676 Theories of Punishment (3)

Electives

Complete 9 credit hours from the following or from other approved JLC-XXX courses:

Justice and Public Policy

Concentration Courses

Complete 12 credit hours from the following:

JLC-605 Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice (3)
JLC-607 Concept of Justice (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-608 The Constitution and Criminal Procedure (3)
JLC-609 Criminological Theory (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-610 Justice and Public Policy: Controversial Issues (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-617 Victimology (3)
JLC-626 Domestic Violence (3)
JLC-638 Race and Justice in America (3)
JLC-643 Advanced Seminar in Policing (3)
JLC-651 Drugs, Crime, and Public Policy (3)
JLC-672 Terrorism, Crime, and Public Policy (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-676 Theories of Punishment (3)
JLC-686 Advanced Seminar in Corrections (3)

Electives

Complete 9 credit hours from the following or from other approved JLC-XXX courses or approved courses from other departments:

Law and Society

Concentration Courses

Complete 12 credit hours from the following:

JLC-601 Law and Social Sciences (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-602 Legal Theory (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-603 The Rule of Law and Due Process (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-604 Foundations of Knowledge (3)
JLC-606 Legal History Seminar (3)
JLC-607 Concept of Justice (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-608 The Constitution and Criminal Procedure (3)
JLC-610 Justice and Public Policy: Controversial Issues (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-615 Law and Human Rights (3)
JLC-630 Advanced Seminar in Legal Theory (3)
JLC-631 Advanced Seminar in Social and Political Theory (3)
JLC-635 Gender and the Law (3)
JLC-636 Reproduction and the Law (3)
JLC-638 Race and Justice in America (3)
JLC-648 Law and Religion (3)
JLC-650 Constitutionalism in Historical Perspective (3)
JLC-676 Theories of Punishment (3)
JLC-797 Master’s Thesis Research (3-6) (with permission of department)

Electives

Complete 9 credit hours from the following or from other approved JLC-XXX courses:

Terrorism and Security Policy

Concentration Courses

Complete 12 credit hours from the following or from other approved courses:

JLC-607 Concept of Justice (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-608 The Constitution and Criminal Procedure (3)
JLC-610 Justice and Public Policy: Controversial Issues (3) (if not used for foundation requirement)
JLC-615 Law and Human Rights (3)
JLC-621 Justice in the Face of Terror (3)
JLC-643 Advanced Seminar in Policing (3)
JLC-685 Topics in Terrorism (3)

Electives

Complete 9 credit hours from the following or from other approved JLC-XXX courses:

GOVT-630 Principles of Homeland Security (3)
RELG-675 Religion and Violence (3)
SIS-609 Conflict Analysis and Resolution: Theory and Practice (3)
SIS-610 Theories of Violence and War (3)
SIS-653 Topics in U.S. Foreign Policy (3) :
Bioterror in the Twenty-first Century

Countering Terrorism

Homeland Security

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency

International Security

National Security and Proliferation

Political Risk Analysis

Transnational Crime and Terrorism

Transnational Security Challenges

U.S. National Security Strategy

U.S. Policy toward Weak States

Justice, Law and Criminology (MS) and Juris Doctor (JD)

Admission to the Program

The program enables students to complete the JD and MS degrees in approximately four years. Students must apply to and be accepted by both the Washington College of Law and the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology. Admission to either the MS or JD program in no way implies that admission to both programs will be granted.

Students may apply to both programs simultaneously or begin either program separately and then apply to the other program. However, once the study of law has begun, no justice courses can be taken until one full year of full-time law study has been completed.

Admission criteria are the same as those for the MS in Justice, Law and Criminology. If application is made initially to the Washington College of Law (WCL), LSAT scores are accepted in place of GRE general scores and application materials submitted to the WCL are reviewed for admission to the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology.

Requirements

All requirements for the JD in the Washington College of Law
All requirements for the MS in Justice, Law and Criminology
- Students may apply 6 credit hours of justice courses to the JD degree and 6 credit hours of law courses to the MS in Justice, Law and Criminology. The law advisor must approve the justice courses and the justice advisor must approve the law courses in advance of taking the courses to be applied toward both degrees.