The Texas State Department of Criminal Justice has a Ph.D. proposal which is pending action from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  A decision will be made no earlier than July 30, 2009.

Although the program is currently not approved, the department will begin reviewing applications for admission consideration for Fall 2009.  No admission decisions will be made without Coordinating Board approval of this Ph.D. program.

Applicants to Texas State’s doctoral program in Criminal Justice must have the following:

• Completion of a master’s degree with a GPA of 3.5 or better on all completed graduate work in Criminal Justice or a closely related field.
• A preferred combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 or higher on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

To apply, submit the following materials to Karen Stachowitz, Graduate Admissions Coordinator, in the Texas State Graduate College by August 18, 2009:

• An official Texas State Graduate College doctoral application: Application for Admission (PDF) OR INTERNATIONAL Application for Admission (PDF).
• A $40.00 application fee (check or money order in U.S. currency should be made payable to Texas State).  A $50.00 (U.S currency) international/evaluation fee is required if the application is considered for admission based on foreign credentials.
• One official transcript from each senior level post secondary institution attended.  Transcripts must be mailed directly from the university or college attended or submitted in a sealed university envelope with the university's registrar's signature on the back of the envelope.  (If you are a Texas State University-San Marcos degree recipient or are currently enrolled, you need to request transcripts from any colleges NOT listed on your Texas State transcript.  The Graduate College will provide Texas State transcripts.)
• Official scores of your Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

In addition to the above materials, submit the following documents to Dr. Mark Stafford, Ph.D. Advisor, in the Criminal Justice Department by August 18, 2009:

• Three letters of recommendation indicating your skills and capacity to be successful in the Ph.D. program.
• Letter outlining your personal history and life goals that are relevant to obtaining a doctoral degree.

If you are an international applicant, please visit the International Student web page for other admission requirements that may apply to this program.

The educational objective of the program in crime and justice studies is to graduate students who have the capacity to understand and undertake research, educate others, and make informed policy choices in the area of crime and justice. We believe that our students will be equally prepared to undertake positions in teaching, research, and administration of justice agencies. 

The program is conceptualized in three distinct stages. A student entering the program with solid research skills and a criminal justice master’s degree in hand can achieve the PhD with 54 semester hours of coursework, including the 12-hour dissertation. Such a student would be admitted directly to the second level of the program.

Applicants with demonstrated aptitude and potential for success in doctoral work, who lack a solid background in research methods, statistics, criminology theory, criminal law and procedure, or the criminal justice system will be required to acquire those needed prerequisites at the first level of the program.

The second level of the program, comprised of 30 hours of course work, is designed to engage participants in seven required doctoral courses (21 hours) that ensure the students’ mastery of quantitative and qualitative research methods, statistical analysis, criminology theory, criminal law and procedure, justice administration and management theory, and justice-related technology. The remaining three courses (nine hours) at this level are intended to establish the basis of the individual student’s specialty area. The choice of specific electives should be the result of careful collaboration and guidance involving the student’s doctoral advisor.

The third level, or doctoral development level of the program is designed so that students achieve genuine scholarly authority in the criminal justice discipline generally, and specifically within a chosen specialty area. Students achieving this program level will work closely with the doctoral advisor and dissertation committee members in planning an individualized sequence of course work and research that maximizes their scholarly progress toward established career goals.

For more information about Texas State University- San Marcos visit: www.txstate.edu/about/index.html