Criminal Justice Accelerated 4 + 1 Master’s Program

Academically strong undergraduate students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, or who are earning a minor in Criminal Justice have the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Saint Anselm College through the Accelerated 4 + 1 Program (ABM).

The Criminal Justice Accelerated 4 +1 Program allows students to complete their B.A. degree and then their M.A. in 5 years. Students accepted to the program will take undergraduate courses and two graduate courses simultaneously in their senior year. After graduating with their B.A., students finish their M.A. the following spring. This 4+1 ABM program requires completion of 11 courses (2 senior year, 3 summer, 3 fall, and 3 spring) for graduation, equaling 44 credits. The completion of a Master’s Thesis is also required for graduation.

 

Course Sequence:

Spring (Senior Year)

(CJ 500) Advanced Research Seminar (4 cr.)

             (Cross-listed as CJ 475)

(CJ 510) Administration of Justice (4 cr.)

             (Cross-listed as CJ 480)

 

Summer

(CJ 600) Advanced Criminological Theory (4 cr.)

(CJ 610) Advanced Research Design (4 cr.)

(CJ 620) Descriptive & Inferential Statistics (4 cr.)

 

Fall

(CJ 630) Law & Justice Seminar (4 cr.)

(CJ 650) Victimization Seminar (4 cr.)

(CJ 700) Master’s Thesis - I (4 cr.)

 

Spring

(CJ 640) Crime Typologies Seminar (4 cr.) *

(CJ 660) Issues & Trends in Criminal Justice Seminar (4 cr.) *

(CJ 710) Master’s Thesis - II (4 cr.)

 

*Students can choose a 20 hour a week internship or fellowship to replace either CJ 640 or CJ 660. More information pertaining to the schedule can be found below under the Frequently Asked Questions.

 

Program Requirements for Admission:

• Minimum of 96 semester credits.
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the major/minor at the time of the application’s submission for the required courses: Introduction to Criminal Justice, Theories of Crime, Research Methods in Criminal Justice (or equivalent), Statistical Techniques for Criminal Justice (or equivalent), one criminal justice law course (Criminal Law, Criminal Procedures, or Evidence), and any CJ course (a systems course or any Criminal Justice elective).
• Students may also be admitted via a nomination process. A faculty member in criminal justice or forensic science may nominate a student with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0 for consideration for admission. A letter of nomination must be submitted by the faculty member, along with the student’s application materials, detailing the justifications for considering the candidate.
   

Required application materials include:

• Completion of the online application form including a $65.00 application fee.  
• Statement of purpose explaining the motivation for pursuing graduate study.
• Unofficial Saint Anselm College transcript if you are a current student and official transcript if you are a graduate.
• Two faculty letters of recommendation with at least one from the Criminal Justice Department.
• For those applying for consideration for the graduate assistantship, results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required. For those alumni who have graduated before spring of 2016, you will also need to provide your GRE scores.
   

Program requirements:

• Students falling below a 3.0 CGPA will be placed on Academic Probation, ultimately determined by the Office of the Dean. A student will return to good standing in the program upon earning the minimum CGPA after one term of probation. If the student is unable to raise their CGPA to the 3.0 threshold, s/he will be terminated from the program. 
• Any student receiving merit aid must earn a minimum 3.0 CGPA. If a student falls below the 3.0 GPA threshold, s/he will lose their merit aid for the remainder of the program. Merit aid will be divided between the fall and spring semester during the student’s fifth year.
• Students may withdraw at any time from the ABM program by informing the Director of the Graduate Program in writing. An undergraduate student who either withdraws or is denied continuation in the ABM program will be able to complete the traditional B.A. degree.
• If a student decides to take a leave of absence s/he will have three years from the point of the start of the program to resume studies. After this time the student must reapply for acceptance into the program.   

 

Deadline for application submission is 5 p.m. September 18. This includes all supporting material: Transcripts, Letters of Recommendation, and GRE scores for those individuals who are applying for the graduate assistantship or for those returning alums who have graduated prior to spring of 2016.
 

Admission Timeline

Spring Advising Session of Junior Year	Students should discuss interest and academic standing with their adviser.
Spring of Junior Year	Students should ask faculty for letters of recommendations.
August 18	Complete the GRE for those that are interested in applying for the graduate assistantship or for those students who have graduated prior to the spring of 2016. It can take as long as four weeks for your official scores to arrive at your designated schools and therefore it is suggested to complete the GRE by the end of June. Test Centers and Dates
September 18	Deadline for submitting the 4+1 application and supporting materials. There is a $65.00 application fee.
October 10	Decision letters sent to applicants.
October 15	Financial aid is available to those who qualify, predominantly in the form of loan-based aid. Visit FAFSA website for more information.
Mid-November	Notification of the costs sent out to admitted students.
December 1	Deadline for accepting offer of admission to the 4+1 program and for submission of a non-refundable $750 deposit.
Fall pre-registrations TBD	Seniors or alumni who are interested in the 4+1 program should enroll in spring graduate courses.
Spring pre-registrations TBD	Admitted students register for summer graduate courses.

Cost of the Program

The Saint Anselm College Accelerated Criminal Justice 4+1 Program is financially competitive with other regional programs. Based on a $675 per credit charge, each course would be $2,700 resulting in a total tuition cost of $24,300 for the graduate portion of the Accelerated Master’s Degree. Please note, financial aid is available. However, most aid will be predominantly loan based.

 

Application

Once students complete the form, they will receive an email with information to log in and access the actual application.

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