When can I apply to the CJ major?

Students can apply to the Criminal Justice major in the second semester of their sophomore year or when they reach 56 credits. This can include in progress work. We have 2 admissions cycles – one for the fall and one for the spring.

What are the requirements to apply to the School of Criminal Justice ?

You can find all of the information that you need about applying to the major on our website at http://www.albany.edu/scj/Undergrad_Admissions_Reqs.htm.

What can I do with a major in Criminal Justice?

The major in Criminal Justice can lead to a wide variety of career opportunities. Please check out our career links at http://www.albany.edu/scj/Careers.htm.

What is the Criminal Justice Internship program?

The criminal justice internship program is designed to give criminal justice majors in their senior year exposure to a vast array of criminal justice opportunities. You can learn more about the internship process by accessing our website at http://www.albany.edu/scj/undergrad_internship.htm.

I want to be a major in Criminal Justice, but I am not sure what courses I should take.

The Advisement Services center has created Major Academic Pathways (or MAPS) to help students identify some best practices for class scheduling during their four years. The Criminal Justice MAP can be found at http://www.albany.edu/advisement/MAPs/CRJ_L.pdf .

I am interested in a career in Law, is Criminal Justice the right major for me?

Criminal Justice is a fine major for students interested in law and law-related fields. However, we would strongly encourage you to check out the University at Albany Pre-Law program at http://www.albany.edu/advisement/prelaw2/lawhome.html and speak to a pre-law advisor about your best options.

How can I tell what courses I still need to graduate?

You can run a copy of your audit from your MyUAlbany account. Review it for any missing or incomplete requirements.

How will I know what courses transfer to the University at Albany?

You can search for transfer equivalents via the transfer equivalency database which can be found at http://www.albany.edu/advisement/Newsite/transfer.html. Simply enter the school (i.e. HVCC) and the course you are interested in taking. The database will generate any possible equivalents. Also, if you are looking just for general education or psychology courses, you can leave the course field blank and search all of the courses offered by the school of interest. You will see that general education courses are identified in the Albany equivalency field.

I don't understand the General Education Requirements and need more information.

You can find a lot of information about the General Education requirements (including courses that apply) on the gen ed website at: http://www.albany.edu/gened/.

Gen Ed course lookup: http://www.albany.edu/gened/search/search.shtml.

How can I find Writing Intensive Courses?

You can find writing intensive courses by selecting "writing intensive only" from the search page (this is a drop down selection toward the bottom of the page) http://www.albany.edu/schedule_of_classes/search/sched_spring.html. This will limit your results to courses that fulfill the writing intensive requirement. All writing intensive courses can also be identified by their suffix of "z", "w", or "v".

You can further narrow the search by limiting other options such as department or open courses, etc. Remember as you are searching that you need a course at the 300 or 400 level to meet the "upper" part of the requirement.

What if a course in another department is closed or restricted?

Given the restriction, you would need to contact the department directly to see if they would be willing to admit you to the course with special permission. If they do not allow it now, there may be a chance to enroll in it later, but we strongly suggest picking an alternative just to be on the safe side.

I matriculated before Fall 2007 and need to complete a concentration, what are the requirements?

You can find information about and courses that apply to the concentration requirements at: http://www.albany.edu/scj/Undergrad_Concentration_Options.htm.

I am a senior and need to take a 100 level course – what do I do?

You can find the exception forms for this and other restrictions in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education in LC30 or online at http://www.albany.edu/undergraduateeducation/forms_links.html.

Does the School of Criminal Justice give out Permission Numbers?

No. The SCJ does not distribute permission numbers for any course prior to the first day of classes. Most courses have certain restrictions and seat limitations for majors during advanced registration. However, those restrictions are lifted during the add/drop period and all students are equally able to register for most CJ courses at that time.

Is there a general GRE score or GPA that you require?

While there is no hard-line cutoff, students should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and GRE scores in the mid-500 range or above. These are general guidelines and should not be confused with strict standards.

Can I use the LSAT in lieu of the GRE?

Yes, the School of Criminal Justice will accept the LSAT scores in lieu of the GRE's, but only for MA admission. All PhD applicants must complete the GRE.

What are the deadlines for graduate admission?

Master's Program

  July 1st – Fall start

  December 1st – Spring start

PhD Program

  December 31st – Fall Admission Only

What type of funding does the school offer?

We fund all of our incoming doctoral students for the first three years.  The funding covers tuition and includes an annual stipend. 

What is the work requirement for the 3 years of doctoral funding?

Doctoral students will be paired with an advisor of similar interest in their first year and then assume a teaching or research assistantship for the subsequent 2 years.

Can I transfer in coursework from another graduate program?

Yes, we accept up to 6 credits toward the MA and 30 credits toward the PhD. However, we are only able to review coursework after a student is admitted to the program. The decision about the transferability of credit will be made at that time.

I am ready to form my Comprehensive Exam or Dissertation Committee – what forms do I need?

You can access all of the necessary forms for both Comps and Dissertation on the SCJ website at http://www.albany.edu/scj/forms.htm.