M.A. Orientation
Welcome to the on-line Master of Arts Program in Criminal Justice. The Department of Criminal Justice has developed many of our courses in a format that provides students the opportunity to earn a masters degree on-line. We often tell our students that one of the best ways to determine the quality of a graduate program is by first noting the faculty that make up the program. We encourage you to read the profiles of the faculty in our department. As you will note, they are actively involved in research and publishing. They are recognized and respected by other scholars in the field. (see list of faculty)
When entering a graduate program, students soon realize that such a program is somewhat different than their experiences in an undergraduate program. First, the amount of work and time involved in a graduate course is often much more than that of an undergraduate course. Thus, eight (8) units are considered full-time for a graduate student. Second, students soon realize that graduate courses comprise of assignments that involve a great deal of writing and library research. Rarely do courses consist of multiple-choice examinations! Thus, students should consider these differences when scheduling courses and take into consideration their other commitments.
The Orientation for the Master of Arts Program in Criminal Justice has been developed to assist students with many questions they may have while participating in the program. The Orientation has been separated into various topics such as the program plan and the the CJUS 686 course. We encourage students to refer to the Orientation at any time. We do realize, however, that these topics are not exhaustive. Thus, students are encouraged to contact the Graduate Coordinator, Pamela Schram, if they have any additional questions or comments:
Pamela Schram, Ph.D.,
Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Department of Criminal Justice
California State University, San Bernardino
5500 University Parkway
San Bernardino, California 92407
909.537.5255 (office)
909.537.7025 (fax)
pschram@csusb.edu
Program Plan
After a student has completed twenty units in the graduate program, he or she needs to submit a Program Plan: Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. To submit this program plan, a student needs to contact the graduate coordinator. The graduate coordinator fills in the required information along with courses the student has completed. In addition, the graduate coordinator works with the student to determine what additional courses he or she needs to meet the degree requirements. Subsequently, the student signs the program plan and forwards this to the graduate coordinator, who will also sign the plan. Afterwards, the graduate coordinator will forward this to the graduate office, with copies to graduate admissions, the graduate student, as well as the graduate student’s file.
Note that the program plan has an option for either a traditional thesis MA or a professional MA. For the on-line program, students will only be able to take the professional MA (comprehensive examinations).
