JD/MACJ

The Juris Doctor / Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Dual Degree Program (JD/M.A. in CJ Program or Program) offers graduate students the opportunity to earn two graduate degrees evidencing the completion of the curriculum for the Juris Doctor (JD) Degree from the College of Law and the curriculum for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (M.A. in CJ) from the College of Health and Human Services, Department of Criminal Justice.  The Program is administered jointly by the College of Law and the Department of Criminal Justice.  The Program is designed for students who wish to have theoretical and practical knowledge in the law and in the field of criminal justice.

Administrative Structure:  In general, the College of Law sets the requirements for and administers the elements of the Program leading to the JD Degree, and the Department of Criminal Justice sets the requirements for and administers the elements of the Program leading to the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Degree.  The Program is coordinated by a JD/M.A. in CJ Coordinating Committee (Coordinating Committee), composed of at least one faculty member from the College of Law, appointed by the Dean of the College of Law, and of at least one faculty member from the Department of Criminal Justice, appointed by the Chair of the Department.  The College and the Department share power equally on the Coordinating Committee.  The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Law and the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice make certain decisions regarding credit to be awarded for certain courses in their respective degree programs.

Admission Standards and Requirements:  To be admitted to the JD/M.A. in CJ Program, a student must first be admitted to both the College of Law and the M.A. in CJ Program in the Department of Criminal Justice, College of Health and Human Services.    The student must qualify for admission to each degree program, make separate application for admission to each program, and be admitted to each program in order to eligible for the JD/M.A. in CJ Program.

After admission to the College of Law and the M.A. in CJ Program in the Department of Criminal Justice, the student must be admitted to the JD/M.A. in CJ Program by the Coordinating Committee.

Admission to the College of Law:  To be eligible for admission to the College of Law, a student must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution at the time of initial enrollment in the College, must have taken and submitted the scores of the Law School Aptitude Test, and must have timely followed all the College’s application requirements and procedures.  Admission to the College is on a competitive basis.  Except for the transfer of credit from other law schools, the College of Law grants no credit towards the JD Degree for courses completed before enrollment in the College.

Admission to the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Program:  To be eligible for admission to the M.A. in CJ Program, a student must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent.  In addition, the student must have completed the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  The Departmental Admissions Committee may grant full or provisional admission to an applicant if there is substantial reason to believe the applicant would be a successful graduate student.  A history of successful work experience in the field of criminal justice will be a factor considered in an admission decision when an applicant does not fully meet the grade point or GRE requirement.  A decision by the Admissions Committee may be appealed to the Chair of the Department.

Admission to the JD/M.A. in CJ Program:  To be eligible for admission to the JD/ M.A. in CJ Program, the student must first be admitted to both the College of Law and the M.A. in CJ Program.  Then, the student must apply to the Coordinating Committee for admission to the JD/M.A. in CJ Program, following procedures established by the Coordinating Committee.  The Coordinating Committee has discretion to admit or to deny admission to any applicant, taking into consideration all factors relevant to admission to the Program, including but not limited to the career goals of the applicant, the undergraduate and graduate records of the applicant, and the likelihood that the applicant will be successful in the Program.

Requirements for the Degrees and Continued Participation in the Program

Juris Doctor Degree:  In order to qualify for the Juris Doctor Degree from the College of Law, a student must comply with all the academic and non-academic rules of the College with respect to the admission process and during the period after initial enrollment in the College until the granting of the Degree.

In general, in order to be eligible to receive a JD Degree, a student must have successfully completed (as defined by the College) 89 credit hours of study, including all required courses, under the auspices of the College, and must have successfully completed all of the writing requirements.  The College will grant credit toward the JD Degree for certain courses taken in the Department of Criminal Justice under the JD/M.A. in CJ Program, as detailed below.

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Degree:  In order to be eligible for the M.A. in CJ Degree in the College of Health and Human Services, a student must develop and complete a plan of study in accordance with the rules and processes of the Department of Criminal Justice for the Masters of Arts in Criminal Justice Degree.  In general, a student must complete at least 33 hours of graduate study, including a minimum of 24 hours in advanced level criminal justice courses, except that certain courses in other departments may be taken as electives in accordance with the rules of the Department.  Included in the student’s graduate level course work may be no more than 12 hours of 5000 level courses; all other graduate level course work must be at the 6000 level.  The Department of Criminal Justice will grant credit toward the M.A. in CJ Degree for certain courses taken in the College of Law, as detailed below.  The Department will waive prerequisites for a student who has completed the required first year or first two years (as the case may be) in the College of Law.

Academic Deficiency; Disciplinary Action:  A student who is placed on probation for academic deficiency under the Rules of the College of Law or the Department of Criminal Justice will not be eligible to participate in the JD/M.A. in CJ Program, and will not be eligible to continue in the Program during the probationary period.  The College of Law will not award credit toward the JD Degree for courses taken in the Department of Criminal Justice during the College of Law probationary period.  The Department of Criminal Justice will not award credit toward the M.A. in CJ Degree for courses taken by the student in the College of Law during the Departmental probationary period.

A student who is dismissed from the College of Law or the Department of Criminal Justice, or who is suspended or dismissed from the College of Law or Department for other reasons, will be considered to have been dismissed from the JD/MA in CJ Program.

A student who voluntarily withdraws from the College of Law or the Department of Criminal Justice in the College of Health and Human Services will be considered to have withdrawn from the JD/M.A. in CJ Program.

A student who, having been dismissed, suspended, or who has voluntarily withdrawn from the College of Law or the Department of Criminal Justice, and who is readmitted or reinstated to the College of Law or the Department of Criminal Justice, must apply to the JD/M.A. in CJ Coordinating Committee for admission, readmission, or reinstatement (as the case may be) to the JD/M.A. in CJ Program.

The JD/M.A. in CJ Coordinating Committee and a student who is no longer on probation, or who is readmitted or reinstated to the College of Law or the Department of Criminal Justice, will establish an appropriate program of courses for the student leading to the completion of the JD/M.A. in CJ Program.

Curriculum

College of Law Credit for Certain Department of Criminal Justice Courses in the JD/M.A. IN CJ Program:  Under the JD/M.A. in CJ Program, up to 12 semester credit hours of approved graduate M.A. in CJ course credit may be applied toward the completion of the total 89 credit hours required for the JD Degree.  The student must earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in an M.A. in CJ course for the course to be credited toward the JD Degree.

The College of Law approved M.A. in CJ courses are as follows:

CRIM 5320	Women, Crime and Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
CRIM 5330	Advanced Studies in Victimology (3 credit hours)
CRIM 5500	Corrections Policy and Administration (3 credit hours)
CRIM 6000	Advanced Theories:  Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
CRIM 6100	Metropolitan Problems and the Criminal Justice System (3 credit hours)
CRIM 6310	Juvenile Justice in the Metropolitan Community (3 credit hours)
CRIM 6550	Criminal Justice System and Inequality (3 credit hours)

The College of Law assumes that the enrollment in each College-of-Law-approved M.A. in CJ course will be predominantly graduate students.

On written application by the student, and for good cause shown, the Associate Dean of the College of Law may substitute another graduate course in the Department of Criminal Justice for one on the approved list.

Courses in the Department of Criminal Justice must be taken after the student’s initial enrollment in the College of Law to be eligible for credit toward the JD Degree.  (Under American Bar Association accreditation rules, the College of Law may not award credit for courses taken before the student initially enrolls in the College of Law.)

Department of Criminal Justice Credit for Certain College of Law Courses in the JD/M.A. in CJ Program:  Under the JD/M.A. in CJ Program, up to 12 semester credit hours of approved upper-level courses in the College of Law may be applied toward the completion of the 33 credit hours required for the M.A. in CJ Degree.  In College of Law graded courses, a student must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better, and in College of Law ungraded courses, the student must earn a “Pass” or better, for the course to be granted credit toward the M.A. in CJ Degree.

The following College of Law courses qualify for credit toward the M.A. in CJ Degree:

Administrative Law
Criminal Procedure – Investigations
Criminal Procedure – Adjudications
Evidence
Cyberlaw
State and Local Government Law and Taxation
White Collar Crime
Advanced Constitutional Law Seminar
Advanced Criminal Procedure Seminar
Death Penalty
Legislative Process and Drafting
Sentencing
Federal Courts/Federal System

In addition, the following College of Law clinics and externship programs qualify for the stated credits, up to a maximum of 6 clinical credits,  toward the M.A. in CJ Degree:

Prosecutor Clinic, 4-6 credit hours
Domestic Violence Clinic, 4 credit hours
Public Service Externship Clinic, 1-5 credit hours, when the placement is in the criminal area, such as (but not limited to) with a selected attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office, or a selected attorney in the Public Defender’s Office.

On written application by the student and for good cause shown, the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice may substitute another upper-level College of Law course for one on the approved list.

Writing Requirements and Internship/Externship Programs:  In general, the writing requirements and any internship or externship programs of the College of Law and the Department of Criminal Justice are independent of one another, administered separately by the College of Law and the Department of Criminal Justice.

The College of Law will not award credit toward the satisfaction of the College of Law writing requirement or toward the JD Degree for theses, seminars, research projects and papers, or internship or externship programs or reports under the Department of Criminal Justice.

The Chairman of the Department of Criminal Justice may grant appropriate credit toward the M.A. in CJ Degree on a case-by-case basis for a student’s participation in the College of Law’s Public Service Externship Program, and for College of Law seminars and independent and honors research.

Scheduling: A full-time student entering the College of Law must enroll full time exclusively in the College of Law beginning in the fall, for the first academic year.  A special part-time student who enrolls in the College of Law on a part-time basis in the fall of the first year, full time during the Spring term of the first year, and who takes the first-year course(s) missed in the fall term during the summer, must enroll exclusively in the College of Law until the beginning of the fall term of the student’s second academic year.  A regular part-time student entering the College of Law must enroll exclusively in the College of Law for two academic years, beginning in the fall of the first year.

After the first academic or full year, or first two years (as the case may be) in the College of Law, a student who enters the JD/M.A. in CJ Program is required to maintain his or her status as a student in the College of Law by taking at least one course for credit in the College during each academic year until the course requirements for the JD Degree are completed.

A student in the JD/M.A. in CJ Program must complete the requirements for the M.A. in CJ Degree by taking appropriate prerequisites and by following appropriate course sequencing as established by the Department of Criminal Justice.

Award of Degrees:  Ordinarily, a student enrolled in the JD/M.A. in CJ Program will complete the requirements and receive the M.A. in CJ and JD Degrees at the same time.  The College of Law will award credit for courses taken in the M.A. in CJ program only at the time that the student completes all the other requirements for the JD Degree.  The College of Law will allow the application of no more than six credit hours from the M.A. in CJ Program towards the JD Degree until the completion of the requirements of both the JD and the M.A. in CJ Degrees.  The College of Law will award credit toward the JD Degree only for M.A. in CJ courses in which the student has earned a grade of at least B, or its equivalent, and will not award credit towards the JD Degree for M.A. in CJ courses graded on a “pass/fail,” “satisfactory/unsatisfactory,” or equivalent basis.