The Texas State Department of Criminal Justice has a Ph.D. program that has recently been approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

General Requirements

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

• Completed a master's degree in Criminal Justice or closely related field
• GPA of 3.5 or higher on all completed master's work
• Completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
• Combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 or higher on GRE

Required Documents

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

• An official Texas State Graduate College doctoral application: Application for Admission (PDF) OR INTERNATIONAL Application for Admission (PDF).
• A $40 application fee (check or money order in U.S. currency should be made payable to Texas State). A $50 (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 Department of Criminal Justice:

• 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.