St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Davenport Iowa 52803 admit

Graduate Curricula
Master of Criminal Justice
College of Human Services
The Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) program
at St. Ambrose University began in 1989. It was
the first program of its kind in the state of Iowa.
The program focuses on professional development
and has a multi-faceted curriculum designed
to produce skilled leaders in criminal justice and
related fields.
The MCJ program is ideal for those interested
in upper-level careers in enforcement, security,
corrections, and human services. It also prepares
those wishing to teach criminal justice, or to
serve as personnel and training specialists in justice-related
organizations. The MCJ degree is
highly regarded as being a valuable asset indicative
of professionalism and competence above
and beyond the baccalaureate degree.
Degree Requirements
The MCJ is a 30 semester credit professional
development program. Candidacy for the degree
is achieved after completion of course work and
successful completion of a written comprehensive
review covering criminal justice studies. The final
requirement is the MCJ project with oral defense.
The student must maintain a B average in all
work for the degree. Only two Cs are allowed
with each offset with an A. There is no residency
requirement. The degree student is expected to
make steady progress with completion of the
degree in one to three years, depending on the
number of classes taken per semester.
Application Information
Before starting course work, a student must seek
admission to the MCJ program as a degree or
special student. The special student category
means taking selected work for professional
development only, whereas the degree student
category signifies intent to complete the MCJ
program. Each student seeking admission to the
MCJ program must complete an official application.
A personal interview with the MCJ
Admissions Committee may also be requested of
applicant. All accepted applicants enter the program
as special students, and will become degree
students with the achievement of candidacy. See
Admission Procedure and Candidacy sections.
Admission Procedure
If a person has an accredited undergraduate
degree with a major in criminal justice or a related
major with at least two years of professional
work experience, she/he may apply for admission
to the Master of Criminal Justice program. To
apply for admission, a student must:
1. Complete the MCJ application form, including
the professional goals statement, the
names and addresses of two recommendation
letter requests, and an application fee of $25.
2. Request that a complete and official transcript
from the institution granting the bachelor’s
degree be sent directly to the MCJ program
director. An official copy is one sent from the
institution directly to St. Ambrose University.
Also have forwarded an official transcript of
any graduate course work.
Transfer credit
MCJ students may transfer a maximum of six
graduate credits from another accredited college
or university. Transfer of credit approval must
meet the following criteria: the credit was earned
within the last five years, it is graduate credit, the
final grade was at least a B, and it is determined
to be relevant to the MCJ program.
Candidacy
There are two options for the completion of the
MCJ degree. Advancement to candidacy will be
met with the successful completion of either a
Researcher Option or a Practitioner Option:
1. Researcher Option (Thesis): Candidacy for the
MCJ degree is achieved after Research Design
course, MCJ 701 has been completed. It is at
this point that students are expected to have
written the front half of the thesis (i.e., everything
through the methodology chapter)
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