Criminal Justice

ufv.ca/criminology/programs/master-of-arts-degree-in-criminal-justice

Master of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree

This 32-credit program is designed especially for individuals looking to combine their academic and professional experience in the areas of criminal justice, social justice, and/or community justice in a way that suits their career plans. These individuals already have the skills needed to study and lead, and have proven themselves in their chosen fields. This program provides students with the knowledge and skills to understand and assess organizations and evidence-based policies for the purpose of contributing to the development of a more effective, efficient, and innovative criminal justice system. The program also provides students with applied learning, the ability to pursue further education at the doctoral level, and an excellent opportunity for networking with other criminal justice professionals.

Students will complete the program over 20 months, taking two courses per semester for five consecutive semesters. In the fifth and final semester, students taking the major paper pathway will complete one course and write and defend a major paper. Students taking the thesis pathway will normally be expected to complete the writing of, and orally defend, their thesis in the fifth semester. It is normally expected that students completing a thesis will have completed a substantial amount of work on their thesis prior to entering into the fifth and final semester, or that they will extend their involvement in the program beyond the five semester model.

Entrance requirements

Applicants to the program must have a baccalaureate degree from a recognized institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 and must have two years or more work or volunteer experience in criminal justice or a related field. Students with qualifying work experience who do not meet the academic entrance requirements should contact the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Once accepted, students will be expected to attend an orientation prior to the first semester of classes.

As part of the application process, applicants will be required to:

• Submit a resume.
• Submit a one- to two-page statement of interest, which includes a description of their research interest, how their professional practice contributes to their ability to complete a Master of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree, how their professional experience demonstrates their ability for critical and innovative thinking, and why they want to undertake a MA in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
• Provide three letters of reference — at least one of which must be from an academic, and at least one of which must be from someone who can speak to their work experience. Please have referees include the Professional/Academic Reference Form with their letter.  
• Provide evidence of work experience in criminal justice, social justice, community justice, or another related field.
• Provide a 5–10 page academic writing sample or equivalent.
• Meet the Degree/diploma level English language proficiency requirement. For details on how this requirement may be met, see the English language proficiency requirement section of the calendar.

Applicants may also be required to pass an interview with a panel of faculty members from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UFV.

When to apply

Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall semester only and open October 1 of each year. To be considered for entrance, completed applications must be received by May 1 of the year of application. Applications received between May 2 and June 30 will be considered as space permits, while applications received after June 30 will be considered for the following year’s entry.

How to apply

1. Apply online at ufv.ca/admissions/apply. There is an application fee.

   Additional documents required for a complete application:

   • Resume.
   • One- to two-page statement of interest, which includes a description of the student's research interest, how their professional practice contributes to their ability to complete a Master of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree, how their professional experience demonstrates their ability for critical and innovative thinking, and why they want to undertake a MA in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
   • Official transcripts (or interim transcripts) from all post-secondary institutions attended showing grade/course achievement as per entrance requirements. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to UFV from the originating institution; see Official Transcript Guidelines for details.
   • Three letters of reference — at least one of which must be from an academic, and at least one of which must be from someone who can speak to the student's work experience. Referees should include the Professional/Academic Reference Form with their letter. The letters should be completed, sealed, signed, and returned with the application package or mailed directly to the Office of the Registrar.
   • 5–10 page academic writing sample or equivalent.
2. Applicants will be advised of an admission decision and, if accepted, will be provided with registration information. A deposit is required prior to registration (see the Fees and Other Costs section) and will be applied toward tuition fees.
3. In cases where interim transcripts are submitted, an admission decision may be made conditional upon completion of academic requirements. Proof of completion of entrance requirements is due by the end of the first week in August.
4. Students with qualifying work experience who do not meet the academic entrance requirements should contact the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Basis for admission decision

Admission to the MA (Criminal Justice) is on a competitive basis. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission (see General Regulations for Graduate Studies). In exceptional circumstances, students may be admitted with lower formal qualifications when there is a significant professional experience relevant to the proposed area of scholarship.

The program accepts a maximum of 22 students per year.

Fees and additional costs

See the Fees and Other Costs section. There will be additional costs for textbooks and, for those planning to do an internship, there may be associated travel and living expenses.

Dates and location

Courses are scheduled so that students attend one morning and one afternoon class, typically on the first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each month. The program is 20 months in duration.

The program is located at the Abbotsford campus.

Program outline

Semester I (Fall)

Course	Title	Credits
CRIM 700	Contemporary Issues in Canadian Criminal Justice	3
CRIM 705	Policy Analysis and Social Justice	3

Semester II (Winter)

Course	Title	Credits
CRIM 730	Ethical and Legal Issues in Criminal Justice	3
CRIM 785	Methods of Research and Evaluation	3

Semester III (Summer)

Course	Title	Credits
CRIM 710	Change Management in the Criminal Justice System	3
CRIM 755	Selected Topics in Criminal Justice (see Note)	3

Note: Selected topics will be chosen by the Graduate Program Committee.

Semester IV (Fall)

Course	Title	Credits
CRIM 755	Selected Topics in Criminal Justice (see Note)	3
CRIM 775	Criminal Justice Reform: Theory and Practice	3

Note: Selected topics will be chosen by the Graduate Program Committee.

Semester V (Winter)

Course	Title	Credits
CRIM 799	Thesis	8
or the combination of:
CRIM 745	Human Resource Administration in Criminal Justice
and CRIM 790	MA Major Paper

Program requirements and continuance in program

To maintain status as a Master of Arts (Criminal Justice) program student and to continue in the program, students must maintain a minimum program grade point average of 3.00.

Course repetition

Students can re-take a course if they wish to improve the grade earned in the course. Permission of the Graduate Program Committee is required (please see General Regulations for Graduate Studies).

Auditing courses

Students wishing to audit a course in Criminology/Criminal Justice must request permission from the instructor no later than the end of the fourth week of classes. No changes from regular to audit status will be permitted after this date.

Course withdrawal deadlines

Course withdrawal deadlines follow UFV's Course Withdrawal policy (81). Please see General Regulations for Graduate Studies.

Graduation requirements

Candidates who qualify to receive a UFV graduate degree must be approved by the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Senate. Students must submit a Request for Graduation form to the UFV Office of the Registrar by April 1.

Note: Students should also be familiar with the General Regulations for Graduate Studies.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.