Doctoral Degree Program | Criminology and Criminal Justice | SIU

Application to the doctoral program in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) involves a holistic review of your academic and professional qualifications. You must hold a master’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, or a master’s degree in another field with at least 15 graduate credit hours in criminology, criminal justice, sociology, psychology, social work, political science, or a related social science discipline. A Master’s Degree in Law or any other discipline that lacks coursework in research methodology and statistics, does not fulfill this requirement. A preferred minimum GPA of 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) is required for all prior graduate coursework.  

Applicants to the PhD program must submit the following:

• A completed graduate school application
• Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• The contact information for three references who can address your academic abilities and potential as a scholar
• A writing sample of an academic paper such as a course paper or, if applicable, a publication
• A personal statement that highlights academic achievements, outlines goals for pursuing graduate education in CCJ, and explains how the program and its faculty will help achieve these goals.

International applicants are encouraged to consult with the Graduate School for additional requirements, including satisfaction of the English language requirement.

The priority application deadline to be considered for university-level scholarships and fellowships is December 1 each year for fall admission.  To receive full consideration for program-level assistantships, applications should be received no later than January 15 prior to the fall of anticipated enrollment. 

International students are encouraged to consult with advisors for additional requirements including satisfaction of the English language requirement.

Doctoral degree requirements include 11 seminars, 24 hours of dissertation credits, passage of the preliminary exam and qualifying paper, and successful completion of the dissertation.

Course requirements include 3 core seminars, 4 research toolkits, 2 professional development courses, and 5 guided electives as outlined below, along with 24 dissertation hours. (A maximum of 6 dissertation hours may be counted prior to passing the qualifying paper.)

• CCJ500 Foundations of Criminal Justice
• CCJ504 Criminological Theory
• CCJ505 Nature of Crime

• CCJ510A Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice (or POLS500A or SOC512)
• CCJ510B Data Analysis and Interpretation (or SOC526A)
• CCJ510C Advanced Multivariate Statistics (or SOC526B)
• an additional research methods/statistics toolkit course chosen in consultation with your academic advisor.

5 Guided Elective Courses: Elective courses are selected with consultation from your academic advisor.

View Catalog details and Courses.

Dissertation

Each candidate for the Ph.D. degree must write a dissertation showing high attainment in independent, original scholarship and creative effort. A dissertation must be written under the direction and approval of a five-member faculty committee, including a committee chair, of the student’s choosing.   

The dissertation process starts with the formulation of an idea and the development of a proposal presented to and approved by the student’s committee.  The PhD candidate then conducts research and drafts the dissertation for final oral defense.  A copy of the dissertation is filed with both the School of Justice and Public Safety and the university’s Graduate School.