Time to Completion

Graduate Program (M.S. Degree)

The time required to complete the M.S. degree in Criminal Justice varies largely on the number of credit hours students take in a given semester, and on whether students elect to complete a comprehensive exam or thesis (the thesis can take longer, depending on the amount of time students can devote to the project). Most students complete the program in 18-24 months; however, highly motivated and capable students who take heavy course loads can complete the program in 12 months (e.g., across the Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions).

Examples of academic plans for completing the degree in an accelerated (12 month) period are shown below:

Accelerated Comprehensive Exam Track

Fall semester (13 credit hours)

  • CJUS 6102: Research Methods & Design (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6104: Legal & Ethical Issues in Crime Analytics (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6105: Criminal Justice Seminar (1 hour)
  • Elective course (3 hours)
  • Elective course (3 hours)

Spring semester (12 credit hours)

  • CJUS 6101: Criminological Theory & Policy (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6103: Intro to Data Analysis (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6106: Intro to Crime Analytics & Informatics (3 hours)
  • Elective course (3 hours)

Summer session (6 credit hours) + Comprehensive Exam

  • Elective course
  • Elective course

Accelerated Thesis Track

Fall semester (13 credit hours)

  • CJUS 6102: Research Methods & Design (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6104: Legal & Ethical Issues in Crime Analytics (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6105: Criminal Justice Seminar (1 hour)
  • CJUS 6800: Directed Independent Study, to develop thesis topic (3 hours)
  • Elective course (3 hours)

Spring semester (12 credit hours)

  • CJUS 6101: Criminological Theory & Policy (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6103: Introduction to Data Analysis (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6106: Intro to Crime Analytics & Informatics (3 hours)
  • CJUS 6901: Thesis I (3 hours)

Summer session (6 credit hours) + Thesis Defense

  • CJUS 6902: Thesis II

UNC Charlotte undergraduates who apply for and are accepted into the early entry program can complete up to 6 graduate credits as an undergraduate, and then have those credits “double count” toward the completion of both the undergraduate degree and the M.S. degree. This can shorten the time required to complete the program.