Criminal Justice and Criminology

Undergraduate Information
Graduate Information
Faculty

OFFICE: Adams Humanities 4108
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6224 / FAX: 619-594-1165
WEBSITE: http://spa.sdsu.edu

Undergraduate Information

The Major

The purpose of the criminal justice program is to provide current and future decision-makers in criminal justice with the foundation for critical and balanced as well as responsible and effective administrative responses to crime. As the systems designed to deliver justice services are continually asked to accomplish more with fewer resources, the need for able and professional administrators becomes more pressing. The mission of the program is to provide graduates with the background knowledge and skills to meet these challenges.

Criminal justice majors with the B.S. degree have typically found employment in local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies or in private business or security positions (e.g., loss prevention). At the local level, graduates can begin service in various capacities with police, sheriff’s and marshal’s offices, probation, county supervisors, city administration, and criminal justice planning agencies. At the state level, graduates may enter the Highway Patrol, Alcohol Beverage Control, Attorney General’s Office, Department of Corrections, California Youth Authority, or related agencies. At the federal level, graduates are employed in agencies such as the FBI, Customs Service, Border Patrol, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Agency, Naval Intelligence Service, Defense Investigative Services, Homeland Security, and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

A significant number of graduates of this degree program also enter law school after graduation or go on to graduate programs.

Impacted Program

The criminal justice major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the criminal justice major, students must meet the following criteria:

Complete with a grade of C (2.0) or better: POL S 102 ; SOC 101 and SOC 102 ; and a 3-unit course in elementary statistics. These courses cannot be taken for credit/no credit (Cr/NC);
Complete a minimum of 45 transferable semester units (a minimum of 60 units is required for all transfer applicants);
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.80 or better.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor or major at SDSU and must be continuously enrolled.

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education courses will also fulfill a major preparation course requirements.

Graduate Information

Assistantships

Graduate research assistantships, graduate teaching assistantships, and scholarships are available to a limited number of qualified students. Please speak with the school director for more information. This program can prepare students for a career in college teaching.

General Information

The School of Public Affairs in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, in conjunction with the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Letters, offer graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree in criminal justice and criminology.

Students pursuing a Master of Science degree in criminal justice and criminology will master criminological theory, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and will learn to apply theory and methods to real-world research and policy issues. Students will also examine criminal justice policy issues at the local, state, national, and international levels.

The San Diego metropolitan region affords significant research and internship opportunities for graduate students in federal, state, and local agencies as well as in community-based or non-profit organizations.

Admission to Graduate Study

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . Students must also satisfy the following requirements: (1) a 3.0 grade point average in the undergraduate major and a 3.00 overall grade point average; (2) two letters of recommendation from faculty or practitioners who are familiar with the student’s academic work and/or employment performance; and (3) a 750-word essay addressing professional and educational goals and stating how a Master of Science degree in criminal justice and criminology will help to achieve these goals.

Students are expected to have undergraduate proficiency in the following four areas: (1) basic knowledge of the criminal justice system; (2) basic knowledge of criminological theory (crime causation); (3) statistics; and (4) research methods.

Students whose preparation is deemed insufficient by the graduate adviser may be conditionally admitted and will be required to complete specified courses in addition to the minimum required for this degree.

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must also submit official transcripts separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions. Supplemental materials should be uploaded to Interfolio.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions

Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree.
English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

School of Public Affairs

The following admissions materials must be submitted to Interfolio electronically before March 1:

Letters of Recommendation (two letters from professors, employers, or others familiar with your abilities and accomplishments).
Unofficial Transcripts
Current Résumé
Personal Statement: In no more than 750 words, please describe:
- Your personal commitment to public service and social equity
- Any personal experiences that have prepared you for graduate study
- Any important information you think would help the committee better understand your academic performance or personal history
- Your professional goals and how you believe this degree will help you attain those goals

For information regarding the admissions process, visit the school’s website at http://spa.sdsu.edu.

Faculty

Director: Colvin, Roddrick A., Professor (B.A., Indiana University, Bloomington; M.P.A., Seattle University; Ph.D., University at Albany, State University of New York)

Undergraduate Adviser: Beltran, Samantha, Academic Adviser (B.A., CSU San Marcos; M.A.,United States University)

Undergraduate Adviser: Vega, Roxanne, Academic Advisor (B.A. CSU San Marcos; M.A., Arizona State Univeristy)

Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Kaplan, Paul J., Professor (B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine)

Chanin, Joshua M., Associate Professor (B.A., University of Pennsylvania; M.P.A., Indiana University; Ph.D., American University)

Mobley, Alan C., Associate Professor (B.S., Regents College of the University of the State of New York; M.A., Vermont College of Norwich University; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine)

Welsh, Megan B., Associate Professor (B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.S.W., Temple University; Ph.D., City University of New York)

Kras, Kimberly R., Assistant Professor (B.A., M.S., Ph.D., University of Missouri)

Osborne, Jeffery R., Assistant Professor (B.S., University of California, San Diego; M.A., John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Ph.D., City University of New York)

Redner-Vera, Erica, Assistant Professor (B.A., University of Nevada, Reno; M.S., Ph.D., Arizona State University)

Vann, Jr., Burrel J. Assistant Professor (B.A., M.A., California State University, Fullerton; Ph.D., University of California Irvine)

Trejbalová, Tereza. Assistant Professor (B.A., Metropolitan University in Prague; M.A., University of Nevada, Reno; Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas)

Lecturers:

Avera, Brian A., MPA, Criminal Justice and Criminology

Bowman, Blaine K., J.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Bracy, Nicole L., Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Braun, Michael F, Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Burkeen, Annette, J.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Celik, Nihat, Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology, Public Administration

Ehnow, Robert M., Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Mendez, Gonzalo, M.S., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Moore, Konrad, J.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Stacy, Dan F., Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Valenzuela, Sylvia L. Ph.D., Criminology, Law and Society

Vandersip, Jeffery, M.S., Criminal Justice and Criminology

Emeritus:

Boostrom, Ronald L., D.Crim., 1971-1996, Professor of Public Administration and Urban Studies

Gitchoff, Thomas, G., D.Crim., 1969-2001, Professor of Public Administration and Urban Studies

Henderson, Joel H., Ph.D., 1971-2000, Professor of Public Administration and Urban Studies

Henry, Stuart D., Ph.D., 2006-2018, except 2010-2011, Professor of Public Affairs

Nurge, Dana M., Ph.D., 2003-2023, Associate Professor of Public Affairs

Sabath, Michael J., Ph.D., 1993-2015, Associate Professor of Public Affairs, SDSU Imperial Valley

Sutton, Paul L., Ph.D., 1981-2011, Professor of Public Affairs