For detailed information about the criminal justice doctoral program, refer to the Graduate School–Newark doctoral program section in 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 (Ph.D.) 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 students do not necessarily study in exactly this sequence. Students are encouraged to initiate dissertation research as soon as they have attained the necessary competence. Thus, coursework and dissertation research may overlap in time. The main elements of the program and its requirements are as follows:
1. Acceptance into the program and into the Graduate School–Newark
2. Completion of required and elective coursework
3. Satisfactory performance on the qualifying examination, core area examination, prospectus defense, coursework, and dissertation defense
4. A minimum total requirement in coursework of 48 credits (the student must offer a minimum of 24 credits in dissertation research toward the degree)
5. Ph.D. required courses (12 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
27:202:640 Advanced Research Methods 3
Crime and Criminology
27:202:511 Theories of Crime and Criminality 3
Law and Criminal Justice
27:202:521 Law in the Criminal Justice System 3
Subtotal 12
Additional Coursework 36
Dissertation Research
26:202:701,702,703,704 Dissertation Research in
Criminal Justice 24
Minimum Credit Requirement 72
Only graduate courses are accepted to fill out the remaining credits, and the additional coursework is to be distributed among the university's offerings. No more than 18 of these credits may be earned in institutions outside Rutgers.
During the semester in which a student completes the qualifying examination, the Core Area Committee works with that student to establish a core area plan that must be filed with the Ph.D. committee and completed. After succeeding in the core area examination, the student forms a dissertation committee to evaluate the dissertation plan and recommend any additional requirements. The final phase consists of the following five steps:
- Acceptance and defense of the dissertation plan and approval of the course of study
- Completion of the approved course of study and meeting scholarship requirements
- Meeting the total credit requirement of 72 credits
- Approval of the dissertation
- 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 successfully completing the examinations listed below. These examinations are described in detail in the Criminal Justice Doctoral Program document. This publication is available in the Office of Academic Programs at the School of Criminal Justice.
Qualifying Examination. In the third semester, 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 to verify his or her command of the core area topic. The format is an eight-hour examination composed on a desk computer. After completing this written examination, the student meets the Core Area Committee for an evaluation, and may be asked to clarify aspects of the written test 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 18 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 coursework 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 graduate student counselor or graduate program director, who reviews and discusses each first-year student's course selection during the fall and spring registration periods. Before registering for courses each semester, first-year student must have his or her registration card reviewed. After their first year in the program, Ph.D. students may use online registration.
The graduate program director 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 chair takes over as the student's academic adviser, and the student should consult with the chair before enrolling each semester.
Scholastic Standing
Candidates for the doctorate must show evidence of distinction in their coursework. That means students are expected to earn grades of A in at least half of their formal coursework. 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. 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.
