Criminal Justice 鈥� Accelerated Five-Year Bachelor's to Master's Programs

Description

  • Option 1: Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice major; Master of Arts - Criminal Justice major
  • Option 2: Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice major; Master of Science in Intelligence Analysis

University of Detroit Mercy's College of Liberal Arts & Education combined bachelor's to master's degree programs will deepen your knowledge of criminal justice and help you to take your career further. This program features two options: a) a Bachelor of Science with a major in Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts with a major in Criminal Justice; or b) a Bachelor of Science with a major in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Intelligence Analysis.

Through Detroit Mercy's undergraduate curriculum, if you follow the option for the Criminal Justice major, you will become aware of the key issues, concepts, and theories involved in understanding the operation of the criminal justice system. With this knowledge, students are taught to analyze the practical issues and controversies of the field. Problem solving, the ability to make discriminating judgments, and the application of theory to practice are key skills that the program fosters.

If you follow the master's option for intelligence analysis, you become immersed in topics including crime foreseeability, threat analysis, crime prevention through environmental design and offender behavior. If you pursue the master's option for criminal justice, you will broaden and deepen your perspective in the criminal justice profession and hone your problem-solving, leadership and critical thinking skills as well as put theory into practice.

From either undergraduate degree, the program allows you to grow your skills to more deeply explore the field of criminal justice or examine the interplay of intelligence analysis as an aspect of cybersecurity that protects against local, national and international cybercrime.

In order to complete both of the bachelor's and master's degrees in five years, the student must:

  • Be very well prepared as an incoming freshman or transfer student;
  • Satisfy all the admission criteria (see below); and
  • Maintain a cumulative 3.25 GPA at University of Detroit Mercy, in order to take graduate-level courses while still an undergraduate.

This program allows incoming freshmen to complete both the bachelor's and master's degrees by being a full-time student for five academic years (10 consecutive semesters). Juniors at University of Detroit Mercy and transfer students may be admitted into the program with the permission of the department and Dean’s Office.

To obtain both the undergraduate degree and graduate degree in Option 1 of this accelerated program, the student must fulfill the requirements of the undergraduate degree by completing the University Core Curriculum, the requirements for the undergraduate major, and a minimum of 126 credit hours AND fulfill the requirements of the graduate program and the 36 credit hours of the degree. Both graduate and undergraduate requirements total a minimum of 162 credit hours.

To obtain both the undergraduate degree and graduate degree in Option 2 of this accelerated program, the student must fulfill the requirements of the undergraduate degree by completing the University Core Curriculum, the requirements for the undergraduate major, and a minimum of 126 credit hours AND fulfill the requirements of the graduate program and the 33 credit hours of the degree. Both graduate and undergraduate requirements total a minimum of 159 credit hours.

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    Admission to the Program

    Qualifications for the accelerated programs for new freshmen are:

    • Enter the accelerated/5-year option as a full-time incoming freshman;
    • Have a high school ACT composite score of 24, with a minimum of 22 in each section;
    • Have a high school grade point average of 3.4 overall on a 4.0 point scale; and
    • Place into appropriate-level freshmen math and writing courses at University of Detroit Mercy.

    Qualifications for the accelerated programs for juniors and transfer students are:

    • Receive program and Dean's Office approval;
    • Can transfer in up to first term as a junior;
    • Have a minimum GPA of 3.25; and
    • Have a minimum of 72 credits.
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    How It Works鈥擲ave Time and Money

    The student pays full-time undergraduate tuition during the first four years and regular graduate tuition for the fifth year. One economic benefit to the student is that the cost of the first 12 graduate credits (two courses in the fall and two courses in the winter) has been covered by the normal undergraduate tuition meaning that no additional costs are incurred in the fourth-year-full-time tuition rate. Since the graduate program will be reduced by the 4 graduate courses taken while an undergraduate student, the graduate program can be done faster and more economically. Certain financial aid benefits are also applied to the entire five-year program usually resulting in more cost-savings.

    The student MUST maintain full-time status during the first three years. Depending on the program and the student’s incoming record such as AP credits, full-time status usually means 15 to 18 credit-hours per semester. This will result in the student having 102 to 108 credits entering the senior year. During the senior year, the student must remain full-time, finishing their undergraduate degree while taking up to 12 credits of graduate work. A maximum of 12 graduate credits is allowed in the undergraduate portion of the program (six credits in fall and six in winter). This program MUST be completed in five years from start to finish. If the student does not finish within the five years, then the program reverts to the costs associated with earning a master's degree outside of the five-year program and other financial aid benefits may be lost.

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    Degree Information

    For specific information on each degree, please refer to the catalog entry:

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    Sample Five-Year Program

    (Note: Full-time status must be maintained in all semesters)

    • First Year: 36 undergraduate credits
    • Second Year: 36 undergraduate credits
    • Third Year: 36 undergraduate credits
    • Fourth Year:
      • First Semester: 9-12 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits
      • Second Semester: 9-12 undergraduate credits, 6 graduate credits
    • Fifth Year
      • First Semester: 9-12 graduate credits (depending on program)
      • Second Semester: 9-12 graduate credits (depending on program)

Program Director and Interim Department Chair: Erick Barnes
Briggs Building, Room 221
McNichols Campus

Email: barnese@udmercy.edu
Telephone: 313-578-0363

Fax: 313-993-1166