The George Washington University - Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
MA in Criminology
Washington, USA
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 59,294 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
GW’s Master of Arts in Criminology program has a strong emphasis on research methods, incorporates required and elective courses from the GW Department of Forensic Sciences and underscores the way crime and criminal justice need to be understood in social context. The program is housed in the Sociology Department and therefore draws on criminology’s roots in sociology. Racism and police abuse of force are as much the subject matter of our program as are classes in punishment, criminal law and traditional criminological theories of crime.
Through research and coursework, students develop an understanding of how societies define, facilitate or reduce crime and the social conditions that contribute to crime and its control.
We offer financial aid to select academically competitive students and/or salary-only graduate teaching assistantships to many of our students.
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) offers funding opportunities in all doctoral and master's programs. These awards differ by level and by program. PhD students are typically offered full funding packages (full tuition, living stipend, and graduate assistantship). CCAS offers merit-based partial tuition awards to many of the students admitted to our PsyD and master's programs; some of these programs also offer graduate assistantships as well as small stipend awards.
This program is a joint offering of the Department of Sociology and the Department of Forensic Sciences.
The following requirements must be fulfilled
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs.
Thesis option—36 credits, including 21 credits in required courses, 9 credits in elective courses, and 6 credits in thesis. Non-thesis option—36 credits, including 21 credits in required courses, 15 credits in elective courses, and successful completion of a master’s comprehensive examination.
Required
- SOC 6230 Foundations of Research Methods
- SOC 6231 Quantitative Methods
- SOC 6232 Qualitative Methods
- SOC 6238 Development of Sociological Theory or SOC 6239 Contemporary Sociological Theory
- SOC 6257 Criminal Law
- SOC 6258 Deviance and Control
- SOC 6259 Criminology
Electives
Thesis students take 9 credits in three graduate-level elective courses. Non-thesis students take 15 credits in five
graduate-level elective courses. Electives must be relevant to the student's program of study. Such courses might be in
Sociology (SOC) (see preapproved elective options, below), in other departments (e.g., Forensic Science) and schools
(e.g., Elliott School of International Affairs), or through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan
Area. Students must have the permission of their advisor or the director of graduate studies to take courses outside of the
department.
- SOC 6260 Special Topics in Criminology
- SOC 6261 Sociology of Law
- SOC 6262 Punishment, Prison, and Power
- SOC 6263 Race and Crime
- SOC 6264 Organized Crime
- SOC 6266 Gender and Criminal Justice
- SOC 6295 Research (May be taken once for 3 credits toward degree requirements with the permission of their advisor or the director of graduate studies.)
Required for thesis students
SOC 6999 Thesis Research (Taken for 3 credits in each of the final two semesters for a total of 6 credits. The
permission of the advisor or the director of graduate studies is required.)
Required for non-thesis students
- Successful completion of a master's comprehensive examination.
The MA in Criminology prepares students for policy, advocacy, academic and professional careers in and beyond criminology and criminal justice. Some of our alumni subsequently work in law enforcement, while others are engaged in criminal justice reform, policy research and other fields. For some students, the MA is a prelude to a Ph.D. or J.D., but most continue to full-time work.