MA in Criminology

TAKE YOUR SKILLS AND YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
The online MA in Criminology provides students with coursework in the social, behavioral, and natural sciences while in the comfort of their own homes.
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The MA in Criminology program is the only master's program of its kind in Georgia. It is committed to providing students with an educational experience that fits them to live, learn, and work in a culturally diverse and ever-changing world. Our mission is to prepare students for a variety of professional careers, advanced academic study, and lives of active citizenship.
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Affordable Tuition
UWG is often ranked as one of the most affordable accredited university of its kind. Fully online students pay only a subset of mandatory fees.
Online
The program is available 100% fully online.
11 Courses
36 credit hours. Most of the courses meet once per week.
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Our program's coursework is grounded in the social, behavioral, and natural sciences, and incorporates diverse methodological and theoretical approaches. Our faculty are experienced professionals with varied backgrounds in working with the criminal justice system, dealing with offenders and victims, and conducting research on a wide range of issues. We encourage faculty-student collaboration and student research based on each individual's practical and academic interests. Plans of study include the Criminal Justice Administration and Crime & Social Justice tracks, and students choose either a thesis or comprehensive exam. Internships are also available.
Our graduates go on to pursue successful and rewarding careers in criminal justice. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) projects "Employment in protective service occupations [...] to grow 8 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average, and will result in about 286,400 new jobs." The OOH also notes that "the median annual wage of $43,710 in May 2020, which was slightly higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $41,950."
Possible career paths for graduates include correctional officers and bailiffs, police and detectives, and private detectives and investigators.
For admission to the program, a student is expected to have a bachelor’s degree in criminology, criminal justice, or another social or behavioral science. However, other complimentary degrees may be considered. Students can be admitted without the expected degree with the stipulation that selected undergraduate and/or graduate-level courses must be completed. Applicants for graduate study in criminology must meet the College of Social Sciences requirements and:
- 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA on a 4.0 scale (If a student does not meet the GPA requirements for regular admission, s/he may be admitted provisionally);
- Obtain three strong letters of recommendation from individuals knowledgeable of your academic and/or professional abilities.
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Submit a 750-word intellectual autobiography highlighting your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree at UWG. Within this intellectual biography the candidate may want to comment upon:
- When and where the candidate’s interest in Criminology developed
- How the field of Criminology was incorporated into the candidate’s undergraduate coursework
- How the field of Criminology has been incorporated into the candidate’s current professional work or will be incorporated into the candidate’s future career goals
- Theoretical or methodological interests of the candidate
- The candidate’s plans or ideas for original research
- A faculty member that the candidate is interested in studying with
The Department of Criminology does not require a GRE score; however one can be submitted to support an application for admission and funding.
For more information, check the updated Graduate Student Handbook (pdf).
FORMS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS:
- Independent study form (pdf)
- Prospectus approval form (pdf)
- Thesis application (pdf)
- Comprehensive Exam Study Packet (pdf)
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Supporting Students for the Future
"I felt really close to some professors here, and, I mean, that’s why I came back here a second time, because I knew who I was dealing with and I knew they would support me."
- Sadie Creel, 2021 alum