Program Requirements
Plan A or Plan B Project (10 Credits). The MA in Criminology can be obtained by one of two plans:
- Plan A is designed for those individuals wishing to pursue an independent research project culminating in a thesis. A thesis involves original research or a theoretical contribution to the field of criminology. The student must register for 10 credits of CRIM 8777 Master’s Thesis Credits.
- Plan B is designed for those individuals attracted to a more experiential program, especially for more career related pursuits. A practicum involves supervised, direct work experience that culminates in a Plan B project. The student must register for 10 credits of CRIM 8600 Criminology Practicum.
Department Core Course Requirements (13 credits). All students are required to take the following five courses:
- Crim 8100 Criminology and Criminal Justice Systems (3 Credits). Review of the historical development of criminology and the criminal justice system.
- Crim 8200 Criminology Research Methods (3 Credits). Examination of basic methods for research design, data collection, and analysis.
- Crim 8201 Criminology Statistics (3 Credits). Survey of descriptive and inferential statistics appropriate for the study of criminal behavior and criminal justice system organizations.
- Crim 8300 Criminology Theory (3 Credits). Examination of the history of criminological thought and contemporary explanations of crime and criminal justice.
- Crim 8140 Proseminar on Professional Development (1 Credit). Introduction to the Graduate Program in Criminology, professional development, and pedagogy.
Department Electives (9 credits). In addition to the credits listed above, all students must choose at least 9 additional credits in criminology courses, 5xxx-level or above. Department electives include:
Crim 8110 Correctional Systems (3 cr)
Crim 8120 Law, Courts, and the Judiciary (3 cr)
Crim 8130 Law Enforcement and Community (3 cr)
Crim 8230 Advanced Evaluation Research Methods (3 cr)
Crim 8230 Qualitative Research Methods(3 cr)
Crim 8295 Special Topics: Various Titles (3 cr)
Crim 8900 Directed Readings (1 - 6 cr)
Related Field (6 credits). Students are expected to include additional elective courses (6 credits) outside the major (in a minor or related field) as part of their program of study.
- The choice and approval of related field courses will be done in concert with and approval by the student’s advisor. The following list of courses provides examples of possible related field courses. These are just examples; students may take other elective courses and should consult the UMD course catalog or advisor for additional options. Please note that sociology and anthropology are considered fields related to criminology, and you may therefore take 4xxx level classes with Soc or Anth designators, as long as those classes have the option of grad credit.
Soc 4949 Race and Ethnic Relations (4 cr)
Geog 4563 Introduction to Geographic Information Science (3 cr)
MBA 8501 Management Accounting (3 cr)
SW 5235 American Indians and Social Policy (2 cr)
Psy 5123 Psychology of Addictive Behavior (3 cr)
IS 8501 Ethics and the Human Condition (4 cr)