M.S. in Criminology
The Masters Degree in Criminology is a flexible program that provides a solid core in the field of criminology, while permitting students to pursue specialized areas of interest. The Masters Program is designed to prepare students for service and responsible administrative and professional positions in agencies within the criminal justice system.
The Masters Program also prepares students for a wide variety of occupations including in-service education, administrative education and management, community college teaching, counseling, doctoral studies, and research. Since offering our first graduate criminology course in 1957, the Masters Program has become the most comprehensive masters degree program in the discipline between Sacramento and Los Angeles. It is an advanced program that now draws students from all over the United States.
Call or write to request application materials for both the University and the Department of Criminology:
California State University, Fresno
Department of Criminology
2576 E San Ramon MS/ST104
Fresno CA 93740-8029
Telephone: (559) 278-2305
FAX: (559) 278-7265
You may also email your request for application materials. Please provide complete name and mailing address.
Completing a Master of Science Degree in Criminology at California State University, Fresno requires the following:
- Completing the University online application found at www.csumentor.edu.
- Admission to the Department of Criminology Graduate Program by completing an Application for Graduate Study for the Criminology Program at CSUF.
- Completion of the 30 units of course requirements.
- Completion of the "culminating experience" (comprehensive examination, project or a thesis).
Admission to the University
- Admission to graduate standing is prerequisite to admission to the Department of Criminology Graduate Program. Note: A University Graduate Admission Application must also be completed and submitted. This is in addition to the application that is required for admission into the Criminology Graduate Program.
- Students interested in applying for Fall admission:
Applications for graduate work in Criminology will be accepted from August through March. Review of application materials will begin in March. All applications received throughout the adminttance period will receive full consideration. Please contact Dr. Toni DuPont-Morales at tdupontmorales@csufresno.edu for further information.
Admission to the Department
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a grade point average (GPA) of at least a 3.0 (on a 4-point scale).
- Completion of the general aptitude portion of the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). We require that the general aptitude portion of the GRE be taken prior to a student being admitted into graduate criminology course work, or graduate status.
- A completed Application for Graduate Study for the Criminology Program at CSUF.
- Three completed recommendation forms for Graduate Study in Criminology.
- A personal essay focusing on a student's "Statement of Purpose."
- An interview may be required by the Criminology Graduate Committee.
Additional Information
Completion of all of the above will allow a student to be admitted with classified standing (full admission).
Conditional classified standing may be granted to students who are deficient due to the lack of prerequisite baccalaureate course work. Any serious deficiences, those where substitutions cannot be made, must be made up during the first semester of graduate study.
The following content represents prerequisitie knowledge for entry into the Criminology Graduate Program. A meeting with the graduate coordinator is suggested for clarification. If students lack the required knowledge, they may take the following courses which may not be used toward the master's degree:
- CRIM 100: Criminology
- CRIM 102: Criminal Justice Organization and Management
- CRIM 117: Criminal Legal Process
- CRIM 170: Research Methods
If you have questions, you may email the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Toni DuPont-Morales.
Graduate Internship/Crim 281
The Graduate Criminology Degree offers selective internships. This is a credit or no credit (CR/NC) graded class.
If you have questions, you may email the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Toni DuPont-Morales.