Criminal Justice

It takes two years to complete the degree if students complete a course every seven weeks. One class is delivered approximately every seven weeks with a one week break in between classes each term each semester, including summers.

We utilize a learning management system called Canvas that allows us to have audio-visual conferences with students on a regular basis both as a class and individually. We schedule at least one hour a week where students and faculty get together in this virtual conference to discuss readings and expand on any lecture content posted for the course. We record these conferences so students who are unable to "attend" can watch it later.

There is a chat function on Canvas that allows for similar interactions as noted above but it involves mostly typing rather than speaking to one another. Some faculty hold chats once or twice a week in addition to the conference. All depends on the course. There may be group projects where students work together on projects with the professor virtually meeting with the groups on Canvas.

Essentially, the only difference between online and on campus is how the content is delivered. To illustrate, on campus, we are physically present and speaking to students directly. For online, we may record our content and post for delivery, we present our content using PowerPoint with and without voiceover, or we type up the content for students to read and then open up the items for discussion.

Our faculty work hard to develop productive relationships with students in their classes and are very responsive to emails, phone calls, and discussion posts. This is the same manner we approach our on campus students as well.

There are two courses offered each semester, approximately every seven weeks, for the online program, which means students can enter two times during the semester (i.e, Summer 1, Summer 2, Fall 1, Fall 2, Spring 1, Spring 2). 

We have a graduate non-degree seeking status option at the university where students earning a 3.0 or better in nine credit hours of graduate level coursework can be considered for admission into a graduate degree program. With careful selection of these three courses (i.e., nine credit hours), these same classes could also be applied towards your MSCJ degree. Earning Bs or better, these courses would demonstrate your ability to be successful in graduate level work and these grades will be reviewed in lieu of your undergraduate grade point average in our admission decision.

Curriculum

Required Courses (18 credit hours)

• CRJU 6010: Criminal Justice Processes & Institutions
• CRJU 6020: Research Methods in Criminal Justice
• CRJU 6030: Data and Statistical Analysis in Criminal Justice
• CRJU 6050: The Nature of Crime
• CRJU 6400: Criminal Justice Policy Analysis
• CRJU 6510: Seminar in Criminal Justice Ethics

Elective Courses (12 credit hours needed)

• CRJU 5200: The Organization & Management of Justice
• CRJU 6100: Seminar in Contemporary Policing
• CRJU 6150: Seminar in Contemporary Juvenile Justice
• CRJU 6200: Seminar in Contemporary Corrections
• CRJU 6500: Race, Gender, and Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice
• CRJU 6550: Crime Analysis
• CRJU 6820: Current Topics in Criminal Justice

Required Application Materials:

• Online application at - https://www.bgsu.edu/graduate/admissions.html
• Overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Personal letter of application between 250 and 750 words outlining interests in graduate study, expectations, and future goals.
  
• A resume

BGSU offers many services and resources to online students.

• The Learning Commons: The Learning Commons provides students with academic resources that foster independent learning by offering individual and group tutoring and consultation sessions tailored to meet the needs of any student in any course at any time in the learning process. They currently offer online writing consultations and plan to add more resources and services for distance learners.  
• BGSU Library: Access to online journals, inter-library loan, OhioLINK, as well as research support and advising.
• BGSU Library: Distance Education Resource Guide: This guide was designed to offer you information and links to the various services that the library provides for students taking an online class, studying abroad, or completing a degree online. You can always visit the University Libraries homepage to access all of the library's resources, but this guide was created to highlight some of the resources that we think are particularly useful for distance students. 

Not necessarily. In general, you are not required to attend class at certain times. You are free to log in and complete your course work at times that are convenient for your schedule. However, your instructor will require that you meet deadlines for assignments and tests as well as reply within a given time frame to discussion board posts. Your instructor may also hold live presentations or lectures using web-conferencing tools or require a first day of the semester log in so be sure to check the class notes for special instructions when you register.

Below is the policy on transfer credits for the MSCJ program.

• BGSU will accept up to nine credit hours of graduate credit from another institution in which the student earned a B or better. BGSU also permits a maximum of nine credit hours to be applied towards another degree at BGSU.
• Students may not transfer in credit for core courses.
• Students can only apply for their transfer credits after they have completed eight credit hours of graduate work.
• Students may apply graduate credits from BGSU towards their MSCJ degree if the courses are appropriate as determined by the Graduate Coordinator. 
• Courses older than six years are not eligible for transfer. The clock starts running at the end of the course(s) requested for transfer, and lasts for six years. Students must graduate before the six years expires or else these prior courses are too old and no longer will count regardless of whether the courses were taken at BGSU or another university. For example, courses from the fall of 2009 could be considered for transfer if you will graduate from the MSCJ program before the fall of 2015.