Criminal Justice (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (JA PHD)
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (GA)
Department: Criminal Justice
Program Webpage: louisville.edu/justice/

Program Information

The Department of Criminal Justice offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice. The PhD in Criminal Justice is a degree that prepares graduates for careers in academic (e.g., teaching and research) as well as public sector (e.g., research, policy analysis and development, planning, program development and evaluation) organizations.

The program consists of a core curriculum and electives that students may use to develop their particular areas of specialization. The core provides a broad orientation and the electives enable students to develop expertise in a particular field. The curriculum includes 54 credit hours: 18 credit hours of core courses, 18 credit hours of specialization courses, 6 credit hours of qualifying project, and 12 credit hours of dissertation research. Students qualify for official candidacy to the PhD by satisfactorily completing all course work and the qualifying project.

Admission Requirements 

• Completed application form
• Transcripts of previous undergraduate and graduate study
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal statement
• Writing sample 
• Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume

Additionally, applicants must show evidence, on their transcript, of the completion of both graduate-level statistics and research methods courses.  The Department of Criminal Justice has adopted the Council of Graduate Schools recommendation for a holistic approach to our admission criteria.  Successful applicants will typically have strong scores on the standardized tests, a strong undergraduate and master's degree record, and excellent letters of recommendation that speak to the nominee's scholarly ability and potential to succeed in a doctoral program.  However, candidates may have other documented strengths that speak to the potential for success as evidenced by: prior research experience; exceptional community engagement or service; leadership experience; evidence of creativity or resilience; unique experiences or background that will contribute to our program. The holistic review of applications allows our faculty to select the students who best fit the research areas offered within the department. 

Those applicants whose native language is not English and who do not hold a degree from a university where the language of instruction is English must also submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a minimum score of 80 on the Internet-based test (iBT) or 213 paper-based test (PBT) or 550 (old test).

Both full and part-time study is permitted. Part-time students are required to meet residency requirements consisting of 4 continuous semesters of enrollment and participation in departmental activities offered to meet the need for scholarly integration and academic immersion in the program.

Degree Requirements

Criminal Justice Core Courses