Program

For detailed program information, refer to the Graduate School- Newark doctoral program section, the Degree Requirements chapter in this catalog, and the corresponding chapters in the School of Criminal Justice catalog.

The program of study for the degree of doctor of philosophy is under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School-Newark. Both full- and part-time enrollment is permitted. In addition to the general requirements listed in the Degree Requirements chapter, criminal justice doctoral candidates must meet several specific program requirements.

The elements of the normal course of study are listed below, but it should be understood that such a listing does not indicate necessarily the expected sequence of events. Indeed, students will be encouraged to initiate their dissertation research as soon as they have attained the necessary competence. Thus, course work and dissertation research may be undertaken during the same time period. The main elements of the program and its requirements are as follows:

1. Acceptance into the program and by the Graduate School-Newark.

2. Completion of required and elective course work.

3. Satisfactory performance on the qualifying examination, core area examination, prospectus defense, course work, and dissertation defense.

4. The minimum total requirement is normally 60 credits. In addition, the student must take a minimum of 24 credits in dissertation research toward the degree.

5. Ph.D. required courses (18 credits) are taught at an advanced level. Students with no previous exposure in an area are advised to take overview courses. These courses are indicated in parentheses in the listing that follows.

 Research Courses                                                                Credits

 Research Methods and Statistics

  27:202:543 Intermediate Statistics                                           3
(Overview: 27:202:542 Introductory Statistics)

  27:202:640 Advanced Research Methods                               3
(Overview: 27:202:540 Research Methods in Criminal Justice)

 Crime and Criminology

  27:202:511 Theories of Crime and Criminality                       3
(Overview: 27:202:510 Criminology)

  27:202:512 Measurement and Correlates of Crime                 3
(Overview: 27:202:510 Criminology)

 Law and Criminal Justice

  27:202:521 Law in the Criminal Justice System                     3
(Overview: 27:202:520 The Criminal Justice System)

  27:202:522 Criminal Justice Policy Planning and Evaluation 3 (Overview: 27:202:520 The Criminal Justice System)

 Additional Course Work                                                        42

 Dissertation Research

  26:202: 701,702,703,704 Dissertation Research in Criminal Justice                                                                                      24

 Only graduate courses are accepted to fill out the remaining credits, and the additional course work is to be distributed among the university`s offerings. No more than 30 of these credits may be earned in institutions outside Rutgers.

During the term in which a student completes the qualifying examination, the Core Area Committee works with that student to establish a core area plan of subsequent course work that he or she must complete. This plan is filed with the Ph.D. committee. After the student has completed successfully the core area examination and formed a dissertation committee, that committee is responsible for evaluating the dissertation plan and recommending any additional requirements. The final phase consists of the following five steps:

1. Acceptance and defense of the dissertation plan and approval of the course of study.

2. Completion of the approved course of study and meeting  scholarship requirements.

3. Meeting the total credit requirement of 84 credits.

4. Approval of the dissertation.

5. Successful dissertation defense.

Admission to Candidacy: Required Examinations

Admission to the program does not ensure that the student will be accepted as a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy. Each student becomes a formal candidate for this degree only after he or she completes successfully the examinations listed below. These examinations are described in detail in the Criminal Justice Doctoral Program document.

Qualifying Examination. In the third term, the student is tested in the three areas that comprise the curriculum: (1) Research Methods and Statistics, (2) Crime and Criminology, and (3) Law and Criminal Justice. This essay-type examination is designed to test a student`s basic familiarity with concepts in the field of criminal justice.

Core Area Examination. During the third year, the student is tested on command of material in the core area in criminal justice on which he or she has decided to focus. The format is an eight-hour examination composed on a word processor. After completing this written examination, the student meets with his or her Core Area Committee for an evaluation. As part of this process, the student may be asked to clarify aspects of his or her written answers.

Prospectus Defense and Admission to Candidacy. At the end of the third year, the student presents a prospectus for dissertation study and receives advice from faculty members and students in an open, public meeting. Following the successful defense of the prospectus, the student may apply to the dean of the Graduate School-Newark for admission to candidacy for the degree of doctor of philosophy.

Transfer of Credit

Graduate courses completed at other institutions and at units within Rutgers may be accepted for credit toward this degree if normally they would form a part of the student`s program in criminal justice. To receive credit, however, the student must have been registered in these courses during the six-year period preceding his or her qualifying examination and have earned grades of B or better in each. The limit to the number of courses for which transfer of credit may be granted is 30 academic degree credits. No credit may be transferred for a master`s thesis or related research.

Students are not granted transfer of credit until they have completed at least 12 credits of course work toward the Ph.D. degree with grades of B or better. The responsibility for requesting advanced credit lies with the student. A form for this purpose is available at the School of Criminal Justice program`s office. A student seeking to transfer credits should submit this form to the program director, together with an official transcript of the graduate work for which credit is requested.

Academic Advisers

All doctoral degree students are advised during their first year by the associate dean, who reviews and discusses each first-year student`s course selection during the fall and spring registration periods. Before registering for courses each term, each first-year student must have his or her registration card reviewed by the associate dean. After their first year in the program, Ph.D. students may use online registration.

The associate dean will continue to serve as a doctoral student`s academic adviser until the student forms a Dissertation Committee. At that time, the core committee`s chairperson takes over as the student`s academic adviser, and the student should consult with the chairperson before enrolling each term.

Scholastic Standing

Candidates for the doctorate must show evidence of distinction in their course work. That means students are expected to earn grades of A in at least half of their formal course work. Grades of B or better are expected for all courses, and no more than 3 credits bearing the grade of C will be allowed in meeting the requirements for the degree.

Academic Probation, Termination of Studies, Appeal, and Student Grade Complaints

A detailed discussion of the current policies and procedures for academic probation, termination of studies, appeal, and student grade complaints appears in the Criminal Justice Doctoral Program document. This publication is available in the Office of Academic Programs at the School of Criminal Justice. Students also can find information on these topics in the chapter on Academic Policies and Procedures of this catalog.

Matriculation Continued

Students who have to interrupt their studies may register for matriculation continued if they get approval from the associate dean. There is no tuition fee for this registration, although a student fee of $7 plus a computer fee of $20 are charged. This category of registration is available only to students not present on campus and not using faculty time and university research facilities. Students who are away from campus but working on their dissertations and in contact with their committees should register for dissertation research.

Time Limitation

All requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy should be completed within eight years of the first matriculation in the criminal justice Ph.D. program.