Criminology and Criminal Justice, B.A. to M.A. Accelerated Program
Want to get a jump start on your graduate degree in criminology and criminal justice at Saint Louis University?
If you’re earning a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice at SLU, you can begin working toward a master’s degree while still an undergraduate through the accelerated pathway.
By participating in the accelerated pathway, you can further shorten the time to your M.A.C.C.J. by beginning select graduate-level CCJ courses during your final year as an undergraduate. These courses count toward both your B.A.C.C.J. and M.A.C.C.J. degrees.
After completing your B.A., you continue directly into the M.A. program with up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework already completed — allowing you to potentially finish your master’s degree more quickly.
For additional information, see the catalog entries for the following programs:
Admissions Requirements
Students seeking admittance to the accelerated program must apply no later than March 1 of their third/junior year at Saint Louis University. Students will select the admit term of the first semester they plan to enter SLU's M.A.C.C.J. program and indicate they are applying as part of an approved accelerated program.
To be eligible for admission to the Accelerated program, students must meet the following criteria:
- Currently in second semester of junior year in the B.A.C.C.J. program
- Minimum overall/cumulative GPA of 3.00*
- Bs or better in all criminology and criminal justice major courses
- Room in senior year schedule for master-level courses
*Conditional admission may be considered for students with cumulative GPAs below 3.0.
Upon provisional and conditional acceptance to the M.A. program, students select a concentration and begin M.A. coursework in their senior year.
Program Requirements
Undergraduate students can take up to 12 credits of M.A. coursework their senior year (2 courses in the fall and 2 courses in the spring) to count towards the B.A. in CCJ. Courses included are below; check with your advisor as courses are offered on a rotating schedule.
| Undergraduate Program Requirement | Met by Graduate Course |
|---|---|
| 9 credits CCJ Major Electives and 3 credits University Electives | CCJ 5000, CCJ 5100, CCJ 5200, CCJ 5300, CCJ 6000, CCJ 6100, CCJ 6400, SWRK 5762 |
Students may take concentration coursework as part of the accelerated program. For more information, see MACCJ Concentration Requirements. Concentrations include:
- Cybersecurity
- Organizational Leadership
- Strategic Intelligence
- Treatment and Rehabilitation
This roadmap is just one example of a semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. There are other plans students can and do take. The plan of study for each particular student is established in consultation with each student’s academic advisor; this roadmap does not replace academic advising appointments.
Roadmap notes:
- This Roadmap assumes full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
- Courses/Milestones marked with an “!” are critical and must be completed in the semester listed in the Roadmap to ensure a timely graduation.
- Course availability and sequencing are subject to change.
Because graduate courses are offered on a set rotation, finishing the master’s degree earlier is not guaranteed. Students who take fewer than 12 graduate credits during the senior year may not be able to graduate with both degrees in five years. Careful planning with the assistance of your advisor is necessary to make the most of the accelerated option.
Classes for the M.A. in criminology and criminal justice rotate on a four-semester cycle. The order of courses depends upon your starting semester.
To graduate with both degrees in five years, students in the accelerated program will need to take an additional M.A. class during the summer or as a fourth class one semester in the final year of the program. This roadmap is for illustrative purposes only and assumes a fourth class in the final year of program
Odd Fall Start
| Year Four | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
Senior year at Saint Louis University |
||
| CCJ 5100 | Ethics in the Administration of Justice | 3 |
| CCJ 5300 | Proseminar in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| CCJ 6100 or SWRK 5762 |
Issues in Corrections 2 or Diagnosis & Assessment in Clinical Practice |
3 |
or select one course with the "MACCJ Elective" attribute |
||
| CCJ 6400 | Issues in Jurisprudence | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Year Five | ||
| Fall | ||
SLU M.A.C.C.J. Program |
||
| CCJ 5000 | Criminological Theory | 3 |
| CCJ 5200 | Research Methods | 3 |
| Select two concentration course 2 | 6 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| CCJ 6000 or SWRK 5762 |
Issues in Policing 2 or Diagnosis & Assessment in Clinical Practice |
3 |
or select one course with the "MACCJ Elective" attribute |
||
| Select two concentration courses 1 | 6 | |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
- 1
Select courses by Concentration
- Cybersecurity: select CCJ 6000 and three courses with attribute "CCJ CYBR Required"
- Organizational Leadership: select CCJ 6000 or CCJ 6100, select two courses with attributes "CCJ ORLD Required" and one course with attribute "CCJ ORLD Elective"
- Strategic Intelligence: select CCJ 6000, select one course with attribute "CCJ INTL Required" and two courses with attribute "CCJ INTL Elective"
- Treatment and Rehabilitation: select SWRK 5762 and three courses with attribute "Social Work Generalist"
- 2
Select courses by Concentration:
- Cybersecurity: select CCJ 6000
- Organizational Leadership: select CCJ 6000 or CCJ 6100
- Strategic Intelligence: select CCJ 6000
- Treatment and Rehabilitation: select SWRK 5762
Even Fall Start
| Year Four | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
Senior year at Saint Louis University |
||
| CCJ 5000 | Criminological Theory | 3 |
| CCJ 5200 | Research Methods | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| CCJ 6000 or SWRK 5762 |
Issues in Policing 1 or Diagnosis & Assessment in Clinical Practice |
3 |
or select one course with the "MACCJ Elective" attribute 1 |
||
| Select one concentration course 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Year Five | ||
| Fall | ||
SLU M.A.C.C.J. Program |
||
| CCJ 5100 | Ethics in the Administration of Justice | 3 |
| CCJ 5300 | Proseminar in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| Select two concentration course 2 | 6 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| CCJ 6100 or SWRK 5762 |
Issues in Corrections or Diagnosis & Assessment in Clinical Practice |
3 |
or select one course with the "MACCJ Elective" attribute |
||
| CCJ 6400 | Issues in Jurisprudence | 3 |
| Select one concentration course 1 | 3 | |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
- 1
Select courses by Concentration:
- Cybersecurity: select CCJ 6000
- Organizational Leadership: select CCJ 6000 or CCJ 6100
- Strategic Intelligence: select CCJ 6000
- Treatment and Rehabilitation: select SWRK 5762
- 2
Select courses by Concentration
- Cybersecurity: select CCJ 6000 and three courses with attribute "CCJ CYBR Required"
- Organizational Leadership: select CCJ 6000 or CCJ 6100, select two courses with attributes "CCJ ORLD Required" and one course with attribute "CCJ ORLD Elective"
- Strategic Intelligence: select CCJ 6000, select one course with attribute "CCJ INTL Required" and two courses with attribute "CCJ INTL Elective"
- Treatment and Rehabilitation: select SWRK 5762 and three courses with attribute "Social Work Generalist"
For admission questions, contact:
School of Social Work Graduate Admissions Office
sswadmissions@slu.edu
314-977-2752
For program questions contact:
Rebecca Schultz Assistant director of recruitment and programming rebecca.schultz@slu.edu 314-977-2752