Joint B.S./M.A. Degree Program

For highly motivated and qualified students who have determined early in their postsecondary education that they wish to pursue graduate studies or a career in criminal justice, this five-year program makes it possible to earn a baccalaureate degree from Newark College of Arts and Sciences (NCAS) or University College-Newark (UC-N) and a master's degree from the School of Criminal Justice.

There are several requirements before one can be considered for admission into this program:

(1) 94 undergraduate credits in liberal arts subjects;
(2) Satisfactory completion of the general curriculum requirements of NCAS or UC-N;
(3) Completion of an undergraduate major at NCAS or UC-N;
(4) A cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or better at NCAS or UC-N; and
(5) A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test score (taken in the junior year) acceptable to the School of Criminal Justice.

Careful planning is necessary to complete the undergraduate requirements with just 94 credits. The program is generally open only to students who have done all their postsecondary studies at NCAS or UC-N, or to those who transfer with no more than 30 credits from other institutions.

Students interested in this program should contact the Office of Academic and Student Services and the associate dean in their first year; an official declaration of intent must be filed during the sophomore year. Application for early admission to the School of Criminal Justice is then made at the beginning of the second semester of the junior year. Applications, catalogs, and additional information are available from the School of Criminal Justice.

If you meet at least the minimum requirements listed above and are interested in the program, the next step is to secure three recommendation letters from past professors. These are forwarded to the School of Criminal Justice along with your application for admission. Meeting the requirements listed above does not guarantee admission into this program. In all cases, the School of Criminal Justice reserves the right to deny admission to applicants it deems unqualified. You must compete not only with other Rutgers students but also with those from other state colleges and universities whose institutions also participate in this program. If you do not qualify for admission to the joint B.S./M.A. graduate program at the end of your junior year, we strongly encourage you to apply to the M.A. program once you graduate with your B.S. degree.

Those students accepted by the School of Criminal Justice receive their B.S. degree from NCAS/UC-N and the School of Criminal Justice upon satisfactory completion of 24 credits in the graduate program. Upon satisfactory completion of the remaining requirements of the School of Criminal Justice, the M.A. degree is awarded. Once students are admitted to the School of Criminal Justice, they are bound by the academic regulations and degree requirements of that school.