Criminal Justice Accelerated 4 + 1 Master’s Program

Academically strong undergraduate students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, Cyber Criminology 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 or 12 courses (2 senior year, 3 summer, 3 fall, and 3 or 4 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 Design (4 cr.)

             (Cross-listed as CJ 475)

(CJ 610) Understanding Crime Analysis (4 cr.)

             (Cross-listed as CJ 485)

Summer

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

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

(CJ 700) Master’s Thesis - I (4 cr.)

Fall

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

(CJ 650) Victimization Seminar (4 cr.)

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

Spring

(CJ 665) - Special Topics in Cyber Criminology (2 cr.)  

(CJ 675) - Special Topics in Forensic Science (2 cr.) 

            (Cross-listed as CH 402) 

(CJ 685) - Internship (4 cr.) 

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

(CJ 710) Master’s Thesis - II (4 cr.) 

 *Students can choose a 10 hour a week internship or complete the two credit special topics options. 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).
• For those students who have below a 3.0 GPA, they will be required to submit two faculty letters of recommendations that detail the justification for  their success in the program.  
   

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.
• For those that have a 3.0 GPA one faculty letter of recommendation from the Criminal Justice Department. For those under the 3.0 GPA requirement, the applicant will need to submit two faculty letters detailing the justifications for considering the candidate. 
• 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, completing the Notice of Withdrawal from and completing the 4 + 1 Withdrawal Survey. 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. August 1st. This includes all supporting material: Transcripts, Letter(s) 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

Cost of the Program

The Saint Anselm College Accelerated Criminal Justice 4+1 Program is financially competitive with other regional programs. Tuition is based on a $675 per credit, with the cost for each 4 credits $2,700. There is an additional comprehensive fee of $700. This resulting in a total tuition cost of $25,000 for the graduate portion of the Accelerated Master’s Degree.  

The comprehensive fee helps the college provide students with a variety of services that enhance their academic and student life experiences. The fee provides access to services such as the Geisel Library, fitness center, campus wide-Wi-Fi, free tickets to Saint Anselm College athletic events, career services, printing up to 1,000 pages each academic year, discounted tickets to events held at the Dana Center, Health & Wellness services, which provide a wide range of confidential medical, health, and counseling services, and technologies on and off-campus. In addition, a portion of this fee contributes to the CJ department in support of programmatic activities.  

Financial aid at the graduate level is predominantly loan-based and subject to the terms and conditions set forth by the provider(s).  

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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