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Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology Program: Preparing Future Faculty

Purpose

Our central purpose is to prepare students for academic careers through a balanced and integrated approach to the study of research, theory, justice systems, and educational issues.

Rationale

Informed opinion, including that of the Council of Graduate Schools, the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, indicates that many Ph.D. programs are imbalanced, and they do not adequately prepare students for academic life as college and university professors. Many programs narrowly focus on training researchers. More broadly defined aspects of scholarship, especially the link between teaching and research, seldom get the attention they deserve.

Our program is designed to educate those who will become what the late Ernest L. Boyer of the Carnegie Foundation called the "new generation of scholars" or "teacher/scholars." Our objective is to provide solid instruction in all aspects of scholarship. We want to produce graduates who are well suited for professional life--men and women who do not juggle research, teaching, and service commitments but rather synthesize them into useful and productive careers.

In 1994, our faculty passed a resolution to broaden the emphasis of our Ph.D. program. The purpose of the proposal was to move away for the traditional model of a Ph.D. as exclusively a research degree, which is based on the model developed early on in German universities, to a program that incorporates some of the ideas represented in the Preparing Future Faculty program promoted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and supported by the Pew Foundation.

Admission Requirements

It is expected that most students entering the Ph.D. program in Criminology will have already completed a master's degree in either Criminology or a closely related discipline. However, in exceptional cases, a highly qualified applicant may enter the doctoral track with a baccalaureate degree. Such student's would obtain the M.A. degree en route to the Ph.D.

Applicants must meet all Graduate School and Research admission requirements. Additionally, the doctoral coordinator, after consulting with the department screening committee, will submit a recommendation regarding applicants to the Graduate School and Research. The following criteria are reviewed:

All official college transcripts

Three letters of recommendation

Statement of goals

Example of written work (thesis, articles, reports, etc.)

GRE scores (A combined score of 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections is expected. Some flexibility may be granted at the discretion of the screening committee.)

Skill requirement (foreign language, computer or statistical ability, or other skills approved by the screening committee or the department's graduate curriculum committee)

Personal interview (may be requested by department screening committee or by applicant.)

Deficiencies in the skill requirement area may be satisfied after admission. The screening committee may request an interview with the applicant, or the applicant may initiate the interview. Students may begin doctoral studies in either semester or in some cases during the semester.

Curriculum

The Ph.D. program in Criminology is designed to be completed in approximately three calendar years of full-time study beyond the master's. The curriculum requires a minimum of 54 semester hours of acceptable graduate credit. Each student must complete requirements for (a) coursework; (b) special proficiency requirements; (c) qualifying exams; (d) skill requirement, if needed; and (e) dissertation.

Required Course Work

Core Courses (21 semester hours):

CRIM 710 Advanced Theoretical Criminology 3 s.h.

CRIM 717 Advanced Qualitative Methods 3 s.h.

CRIM 718 Quantitative Strategies for Analysis in Criminology 3 s.h.

CRIM 720 Advanced Quantitative Methods 3 s.h.

CRIM 730 Ethical and Philosophical Issues in Criminology 3 s.h.

CRIM 740 Advanced Criminal Justice Policy 3 s.h.

CRIM 750 Doctoral Colloquium in Criminology 3 s.h.

Criminology Electives: six semester hours minimum

Advanced Applied Research: nine semester hours minimum

CRIM 801 Advanced Applied Research I

CRIM 802 Advanced Applied Research II

CRIM 803 Advanced Applied Research III

Other Electives: six semester hours from Criminology or related disciplines

Qualifying Examination: Upon completion of the core courses a student must arrange with the doctoral coordinator to take the qualifying examination to be based upon the core subject areas. After successful completion, a student may proceed towards fulfillment of remaining degree requirements.

Special Proficiency Examination: Areas of Concentration - Each student must decide upon one subspecialty within Criminology. Upon consultation with the student, the student's advisory committee, and the doctoral coordinator, a proficiency exam will be administrated.

Skill requirement: (0-6 semester hours) A deficiency in this area may be remedied by completing one of the following alternatives:

Foreign language competency

Computer language skills

Advanced competency in statistics

Other appropriate courses/subjects as approved by the doctoral coordinator

Further details regarding any of these skill requirements can be obtained from the doctoral coordinator.

Dissertation: In accordance with university guidelines, successful completion of a doctoral dissertation is required (12 semester hours).

In short:

Average Transfer Credit from MA:			6
Course Credits:			36
Dissertation Credits:			12
Total Minimum Number of Credit Hours Required:			54

Residency

The following options are available to doctoral students for satisfying residency requirements:

Completion of a minimum of nine graduate credits at IUP in each of at least two consecutive semesters

Completion of a minimum of nine graduate semesters immediately proceeding or following a summer of 9 semester hours of study.

Completion at IUP of at least nine graduate credits in each of two consecutive summers plus six graduate credits during the intervening academic year.

Part Time Study

This program may admit each year some students whose intention is to complete the program on a part-time basis. Course offerings can be expected to fluctuate, especially in the expansion of new course offerings. A complete and updated description of any changes can be obtained from the Department of Criminology.

Financial Support

Graduate Assistants ($4,410 to $6,000), Teaching Associate Program (opportunity to gain supervised teaching experience), and Doctoral Fellowship Program.

Further information can be obtained from:

Doctoral Coordinator
Criminology Department
G-1 McElhaney Hall
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705

Online Form To Request Information and Application Material for the Criminology Graduate Programs

Correspondence regarding this site should be sent to its maintainer, Dottie Hillard dhillard@iup.edu. Please see IUP's statement regarding pages that do not officially represent the university.