Graduate Student Handbook

I. Academic Policies and Requirements
Ph.D. Requirements

The Ph.D. degree prepares students for careers in research and teaching in the multidisciplinary field of criminal justice. Although each student’s experience in the program is unique, designed around his or her interests and professional objectives, the curriculum is designed to ensure that each student acquires, practices, and becomes proficient in social science research skills, and develops a thorough familiarity with a substantive area. Key experiences and milestones in the program include not only coursework, but also research opportunities undertaken through independent study, collaboration with faculty and other students, individual work on comprehensive exams, and original scholarship in the form of dissertation research. The School also provides opportunities to develop teaching skills, through supervised teaching internships and assistantships.

To satisfy requirements for the Ph.D. degree, students must:

(1) Complete 60 credits of course work with a "B" (3.0) or better grade point average.
(2) Pass comprehensive examinations.
(3) Pass (or waive) the required courses in the support sequence, Statistics II (CRJ 687) and Research Design II (CRJ 688).
(4) Complete tool requirements in a specialized area of research methodology.
(5) Present and successfully defend a dissertation prospectus.
(6) Present and successfully defend a dissertation.
(7) Comply with the University's statute of limitations requirement.

Course Credits and Cumulative Grade Point Average

The Ph.D. degree requires the completion of 60 credits of course work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. Up to 30 credits of graduate level studies completed elsewhere may be applied toward the required 60 credits. Appropriate courses may be taken outside of the School of Criminal Justice at this University, and credits earned applied toward the Ph.D. degree in criminal justice; students should receive the written approval of their academic advisor before enrolling in such courses.
Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive Exam

The doctoral comprehensive examination is designed to provide students with the opportunities to practice and to be assessed on important skills: development of a research knowledge base, exercise of critical synthesis and writing skills, execution of an independent research project, and presentation and defense of individual work. The following three-part comprehensive examination system was adopted by the faculty in May 2002, effective for all students entering the program after that date, and optionally retroactively effective for all returning students who have not yet completed both comprehensive exams under the old system.

A faculty committee selected by the student shall administer the doctoral student comprehensive examination. The committee shall be comprised of at least three faculty members eligible to teach graduate classes. The chair and at least one other committee member shall be voting members of the School of Criminal Justice faculty. A record of the committee’s composition shall be filed with the Dean’s Office when the committee is constituted. The committee must be formed not later than the beginning of the student’s fifth semester of enrollment following admission to the doctoral program.

The committee must approve the subject of the student’s examination. Thereafter, a written description of the examination subject shall be distributed to the faculty.

The committee shall determine how to assess the student’s proficiency, and will conduct the assessment. All examinations shall include:

(1) demonstration of critical reading and mastery of relevant literature, in written form;
(2) completion of a research project, involving a written report that in the committee’s view is suitable for publication in an academic journal; and
(3) an oral presentation and defense.

The committee will report annually to the faculty regarding the student’s progress on the examination.

The committee will report to the Dean regarding its assessment of the student’s performance on the comprehensive exam. The committee must deem the student’s performance to be acceptable on each part of the exam for the student to pass the comprehensive exam.

In the event an examining committee reports that a student has performed unsuccessfully on a comprehensive exam, or in the event that the student has disbanded his or her committee, the student may petition the Student Performance Committee to be allowed to form a new committee. The Student Performance Committee’s recommendation shall be considered by the faculty. Not more than one petition to form a new examining committee shall made.

Research Methodology Support Sequence

Most students enroll in Statistics I (CRJ 681) and Research Design I (CRJ 682) in their first year, which are prerequisites for two required courses, Statistics II (CRJ 687) and Research Design II (CRJ 688). A student whose prior coursework is substantively similar to the prerequisites may seek approval from the instructors of those courses for a waiver.

Research Tool Requirement

Students must demonstrate competence in a specialized area of research methodology by completing a research tool requirement. The area of research methodology must be appropriate to academic study in criminal justice. Illustrative areas that may satisfy the research tool requirement include statistical analysis, legal research, foreign language proficiency, historical research, computer utilization, survey design, techniques of field observation, and clinical research techniques (this listing is not intended to be exhaustive).

A level of proficiency in research that is appropriate to the Ph.D. degree must be evidenced in order to demonstrate competence in an area of research methodology. Such competence may be evidenced:

1. By successfully completing an approved course (no course credits may be applied toward the Ph.D. degree if completion of the course is used in satisfaction of the tool requirement); or
2. By demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language under procedures and criteria approved by the Student Performance Committee. This normally will involve an examination administered by a foreign language department at the University (e.g., the Departments of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies), under specified procedures, including materials suitable for translation and designated level and type of skill that must be demonstrated, e.g., ability to translate with or without a dictionary, or factual or summary translation, as opposed to literal translation. Otherwise, the foreign language in which proficiency is demonstrated must have a sufficient body of literature relevant to studies in criminal justice, and examinations will be administered, as possible, under procedures and criteria approved by the Student Performance Committee; or
3. Upon the certification of two members of the faculty that the student has satisfactorily completed an approved research tool proposal. Students must submit a proposal to the Student Performance Committee specifying the area of research methodology in which they will demonstrate competence, and the manner in which such competence will be demonstrated. The proposal must include a statement explaining why the selected area is appropriate to the student's anticipated research in criminal justice. Upon approval of the student's proposal by the Student Performance Committee, and upon certification to the Committee that the proposal has been satisfactorily completed pursuant to the above procedures, the Committee shall notify the Dean that the student has satisfied the research methodology tool requirement.

Prospectus and Dissertation

Prospectus and dissertation committee:

A five-person committee must be formed to oversee the development of and formally approve a student's dissertation prospectus and dissertation. The committee shall be comprised of five members, and may include two people who are not from the School of Criminal Justice regular, full-time faculty.

The student may nominate the individuals who, upon their agreement and the approval of the Dean, shall serve as the members of the committee. One of the members shall serve as the chair of the committee. The student is expected to work with his/her committee in the initial development and written articulation of the prospectus and the dissertation. The oral defense of a prospectus or a dissertation shall not be scheduled until all members of the committee have had the opportunity to read and comment upon the proposed prospectus or dissertation.

With the approval of the student, the committee and the Dean, associate committee members may be appointed for the purpose of advising the student and committee on matters relevant to their expertise. Associate members do not have the power to vote on the approval of a prospectus or dissertation; their role is advisory only.

The prospectus:

The presentation and defense of a dissertation prospectus is a formal step toward Ph.D. candidacy. The written prospectus should detail the research methods and techniques to be used in conducting the dissertation research. It also should address the relevance of the dissertation topic to the field of criminal justice, describe the conceptual and research content in which the proposed study is located, specify the originality or uniqueness of the proposal, and review, in bibliographic form, the research and other literature relevant to the topic.

When a prospectus is ready for oral defense a copy is to be filed and made available to the faculty at least three weeks prior to the scheduled hearing. At the time that notification of a prospectus defense is given to the faculty, an abstract of the prospectus is to be circulated. Faculty members are to notify the chair of the student's committee and the Dean whether they will attend the hearing.

Prospectus defenses may be scheduled during each academic year, except during the final examination period of each semester. With the unanimous approval of the student's committee, prospectus defenses may be scheduled during the summer months, or otherwise when the School is not in academic session.

At the prospectus hearing questions may be put to the student regarding his/her general knowledge of the field of criminal justice, familiarity with the literature and research relevant to his/her topic and methodology, and the like. Questions need not be limited to the written prospectus. The hearing is a formal scrutiny of the student's ability to fit his/her dissertation project into the many facets of the field of criminal justice.

Approval of a student's prospectus shall be conferred after the student's defense, upon stipulation by at least four of the persons on the student's committee. Once the prospectus is approved it becomes a contract binding on the faculty, but not on the student, regarding the scope and nature of the dissertation project. (This is intended to alleviate problems encountered by students where, subsequent to the defense of a prospectus, the membership of the student's committee may change; the student may proceed with the study as outlined in the prospectus without securing approval from new faculty advisors.)

The dissertation:

The dissertation is the culmination of the program of advanced study leading to a doctoral degree. It is expected that the dissertation report in accepted scholarly style an investigation of a problem of significance, and make a unique contribution to the field of study. It must demonstrate that the candidate is capable of independent research and analysis, scholarly reporting, and that s/he has attained a high degree of scholarly competence.

The student ordinarily must be admitted to candidacy at least one session (exclusive of a summer session) before the acceptance of his/her dissertation.

An oral examination relating to the written dissertation must be held unless waived by action of the general faculty. At least two weeks prior to the date of the scheduled oral defense the candidate must provide written copies of the dissertation to each individual on his/her committee. The dissertation must conform to the University Policy on Style Format for Ph.D. Dissertations and Submission Procedure. (The number of copies submitted and other regulations concerning the form, filing and costs associated with the dissertation are there specified.) One additional copy of the dissertation must be made available in the Dean's Office for review by interested parties.

All members of the faculty shall be notified of the time and place of the oral defense of the dissertation, and may attend and participate in a non-voting capacity. Acceptance of the dissertation shall be by affirmative vote of at least four of the five persons on the dissertation committee.

PROGRESS THROUGH THE PH.D. PROGRAM

It is the responsibility of each student to make satisfactory progress through his/her course of study. It is the responsibility of the faculty to assist the student in achieving this objective via the advising process, to evaluate the rate of progress, and to provide feedback to the student.

Requirements

There are five basic requirements for the Ph.D. degree at the School of Criminal Justice . They are: the satisfactory completion of 60 credits of coursework, passing required statistics/methods courses, passing a comprehensive examination, completing the Ph.D. tool, and successfully completing and defending a doctoral dissertation. More detailed information on each of these requirements is found in other sections of the Handbook.

Satisfactory progress to the degree includes maintaining an acceptable grade point average and successfully completing the other requirements. It also includes meeting the milestones and deadlines for satisfactory progress through the program as set by the faculty. (See Table 1.)

Evaluating Progress

Each student's progress through the Ph.D. program will be evaluated on an annual basis by the Student Performance Committee. Evaluation will be based on the following:

•  The student's transcript and file.

•  Evaluations from the Chair of the Comprehensive Examination Committee or of the Dissertation Committee, as appropriate. The Student Performance Committee can request input from other faculty who have worked with the student on an as needed basis.

•  The Student Activity Report. Each Ph.D. student is required to complete and submit a Student Activity Report on an annual basis (see Appendix 1). The report describes the student's objectives and goals for graduate study, coursework, progress on the comprehensive examinations and dissertation, and professional activities. It is recognized that the relevance of various sections will vary at different stages of the student's career.

•  Any additional information the committee would like to have in reaching a decision about the student's progress.

Based on the full record, the Student Performance Committee will recommend one of three statuses. They are:

•  Satisfactory progress. This means that the student has an acceptable grade point average, is meeting the major milestones of the program in a timely fashion, and has earned positive evaluations from the comprehensive and dissertation committees, as appropriate.

b. Marginal progress. An evaluation of marginal progress will be given if there are serious questions about the student's progress through the program and/or his/her likelihood of successfully completing the program. This is the required judgment if the student is on university probation. Other, potentially relevant factors that could lead to a judgment of “marginal progress” include the following:

  1) a marginal grade point average, especially if that continues over time,

  2) missing milestones and deadlines for the completion of degree requirements,

  3) incompletes in coursework, and

  4) severe reservations by either the Comprehensive Examination Committee or the Dissertation Committee about the likelihood of the student successfully meeting the requirement.

The Student Performance Committee is not limited to a consideration of just these four factors. Also, problematic performance in any one area is not necessarily determinative of an evaluation of “marginal progress.” The committee will base its judgment on the student's full record, not necessarily a single factor.

  If a student's progress is judged to be marginal, it is the student's responsibility, working with his/her advisor and the Associate Dean, to develop a remedial plan to return to satisfactory standing. The Student Performance Committee, in consultation with the student, will establish a deadline for the submission of a remedial plan. The remedial plan should be in writing, should include clearly specified deadlines for resolving whatever issues led to the judgment of marginal progress, and should be included as a permanent part of the student's file.

  The intent of the status of marginal progress is twofold. First, it is designed to remediate the problem and to prevent students from falling further and further behind. Second, it is meant to alert both the student and the faculty that there are likely to be problems in completing the degree unless remedial action is successfully taken.

c. Unsatisfactory progress. A student will be considered to be making unsatisfactory progress toward the degree if he or she has not, in a timely fashion, successfully addressed the issues that led to an earlier recommendation of “marginal progress.” Students who are judged to be making unsatisfactory progress will be denied permission to enroll for further study.

The faculty anticipates that the vast majority of Ph.D. students will receive a “satisfactory” rating by the Student Performance Committee. For the minority who receive either an evaluation of marginal or unsatisfactory, the Student Performance Committee's evaluation will be presented to the full faculty for discussion and final resolution. If the Student Performance Committee is moving toward an evaluation of either marginal or unsatisfactory progress, the student will be invited to meet with the Committee prior to the final evaluation. In general, students have the right to meet with the Student Performance Committee or the faculty to discuss their program of study and plans for remediation.

Procedural Issues

These provisions will apply to all students who entered the program in September 2002 or after. They also apply to students who entered prior to September 2002 and who have opted to take the new comprehensive examinations. For the latter group, students will be considered to be in their fifth semester of study as of September 2003. All Ph.D. students will be asked to complete the Annual Report.

These provisions will expire in September 2006 unless continued or modified by an affirmative vote of the faculty.

Table 1

Milestones for Progress in Ph.D. Program for Full-Time Students

Notes:

In the event of a student not passing, or formally dissolving a committee for comprehensive exams, additional time would be allowed to make a second start.

Leaves of absence would “stop the clock.”

Student Progress Reports (see Appendix 1) will be submitted each September.

Statute of limitations

All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within eight calendar years of the date of initial registration in the program.

M.A. Requirements

The M.A. degree requires the successful completion of 30 credits of course work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. Up to six (6) credits of graduate level studies completed elsewhere may be applied toward the required 30 credits. Appropriate courses may be taken outside of the School of Criminal Justice at this University, and credits earned applied toward the M.A. degree in criminal justice; students should receive the approval of their academic advisor before enrolling in such courses.

To satisfy requirements for the M.A. degree, students must:

1. Complete 30 credits of course work with a "B" (3.0) or better grade point average;
2. Complete course requirements in the support sequence, Statistics I (CRJ 504), and Research Design I (CRJ 682). Two different sections normally are offered in both Statistics I and Research Design I, one for "consumers," and one for "users" of statistics and research design techniques. M.A. students will ordinarily enroll in the former sections.
3. Complete area requirements in three of the four substantive areas of the curriculum by satisfactorily completing approved coursework as described below:

a. Nature of Crime
One of the following courses:
CRJ 601 Crime, Deviation and Conformity
CRJ 606 Measurement of Crime and Delinquency
CRJ 607 Theories of Crime
CRJ 608 Ideology and Crime

b. Law and Social Control
One of the following courses:
CRJ 620 The Law and of Deprivation of Liberty
CRJ 623 Substantive Criminal Law
CRJ 626 Law and Social Science Research
CRJ 629 Constitutional Criminal Procedure

c. Criminal Justice Process and Policy
One of the following courses:
CRJ 641 Comparative Criminal Justice
CRJ 642 Issues in Policing
CRJ 643 Community Supervision and Treatment of Convicted Persons
CRJ 645 Prison Environments
CRJ 646 Sentencing
CRJ 647 Innovations in Policing
CRJ 649 Gender, Administration, and Policy
CRJ 651 Policing in America
CRJ 652 Prosecution and Adjudication

d. Planned Change
One of the following courses:
CRJ 560 Introduction to Individual and Organizational Interventions
CRJ 561 Introduction to Community Intervention
CRJ 661 Modes of Correctional Intervention

Statute of Limitations

In compliance with the University's statute of limitations requirement, all study for which credit is applied to a Master's degree, including transfer credit for graduate courses taken elsewhere, must be completed within a period of six years.

The Master's Essay Option

A Master's Essay may be completed as an elective within the M.A. curriculum, and in exceptional cases, with the approval of the appropriate faculty, may satisfy area requirements for the M.A. degree within one of the substantive areas. The Master's Essay shall be a graded, three-credit course, which will be offered each semester; students may enroll in the course only once. The essay may be based upon library research, secondary analyses, or field experience. The collection of original data is permitted, but not required. If a field experience is part of the Essay it may not duplicate a student's occupational experiences and, by itself, field experience does not satisfy this requirement. The essay must be original work, and not merely a revision of a previously submitted paper.

A committee of three faculty members selected by the student shall oversee and approve the Master's Essay. One member of the committee shall serve as its chair, and must be a member of the faculty of the School of Criminal Justice. The student must submit a detailed outline of the proposed Master's Essay to his/her committee, and the outline must be approved, prior to the student's registering for the course. The Essay must be approved by a majority of the committee, who will assign the grade in the course. A copy of the final written work or product must be submitted to the Dean's office.

The B.A./M.A. Program

The combined B.A./M.A. program enables students to apply a maximum of nine credits toward both the Bachelor's degree and the Master's degree. Students may only be admitted to the program after the beginning of their junior year (56 credits) and before completing l00 undergraduate credits. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20 and three letters of recommendation are necessary for consideration for admission to the program. Students are considered undergraduates until they have completed l20 academic credits and all other requirements for the B.A. degree; thereafter they automatically are considered graduate students.

The Information Technology Concentrations in the MA
and Ph.D Programs

The proposed information technology graduate curriculum provided by the School of Criminal Justice builds on the School’s outstanding reputation as a center of high level quantitative research in criminal justice. The curriculum is designed to extend and expand the statistical and methodological expertise learned in the traditional sequence of the school’s methods and statistical courses. Ph.D. and M.A. students take a selection of the school’s four courses in Information Technology to graduate with a degree with a concentration in information technology in criminal justice. For the MA, these courses are ordinarily taken in lieu of an equivalent number of electives.

The M.A. concentration is composed of three courses or their approved equivalents as follows

(1) CRJ692 Data Utilization in Criminal Justice (3 credits)
(2) CRJ693 Geographic Information Systems in Criminal Justice I (4 credits)
(3) Either CRJ696 Geographic Information Systems in Criminal Justice II (4 credits)
Or CRJ695. Responsible Use of Criminal Justice Information. (3 credits)

The Ph.D. concentration requires:

(1) CRJ692 Data Utilization in Criminal Justice (3 credits)
(2) CRJ693 Geographic Information Systems in Criminal Justice I (4 credits)
(3) CRJ696 Geographic Information Systems in Criminal Justice II (4 credits)
(4) CRJ694 Spatial Data Analysis in Criminal Justice (4 credits) or its approved equivalent.
(5) CRJ695. Responsible Use of Criminal Justice Information. (3 credits) .
General Curriculum Policies and Requirements
Course Load and Registration Rules

Full-time students who have been admitted to a degree program must comply with the following rules:

1. The School requires that first year students take a minimum of 22 credits in their first two sessions, with not fewer than l0 credits in either. (Note: the University specifies that, "To be considered in full-time study a graduate student ordinarily must be registered for not less than l2 credits of work or the equivalent.")
2. Students must take at least two graded courses (i.e., a grade of A, B, C, etc. is assigned) out of their first l5 credits.
3. It is expected that students will continue their studies in consecutive semesters after their enrollment until they have earned the M.A. or PhD degree. (Students may apply for leaves of absence under procedures specified in "Leaves of Absence,” below.)
4. Students who are in the process of comprehensive examination work may register for the appropriate number of credits of CRJ 893.
5. Students who are past their comprehensive examination and who are developing a prospectus under the guidance of a faculty member, but who have not yet met the requirements for CRJ 899 (below) should register for the appropriate number of credits of CRJ 895, under that faculty member’s name and with his/her permission.
6. Doctoral students shall be eligible to register for CRJ 899 following: (a) satisfactory completion of required coursework including a minimum of 60 credits and no outstanding Incompletes in required classes; (b) satisfactory completion of the research tool requirement; (c) satisfactory completion of comprehensive examinations; (d) the formation and formal approval of a dissertation committee; (e) the committee’s approval of a dissertation topic based on a concept paper; and (f) approval of the dean. Pursuant to University policy, registration for one credit of CRJ 899 represents “full-time” registration. Students eligible to register for CRJ 899 are not authorized to take leaves of absence.
7. Students with assistantships must comply with course load and registration requirements as specified under the terms of their assistantships.

Waivers of Required Courses

Courses which are required may be waived upon certification of the instructors offering them that the student has demonstrated adequate knowledge of the course material. No academic credit is given to a student for waiving a course; the waiver simply signifies that the curriculum requirement has been satisfied. The procedure for waiving a required course typically proceeds as follows:

1. The student shall meet with the course instructors and present material describing previous course work (e.g., course syllabi, book lists, papers, examinations). After reviewing the material and discussing the previous work with the student the instructors may determine if a waiver should be granted.
2. At the request of students who have taken no courses equivalent to the course for which a waiver has been sought, or of students not granted waivers through the process described above, a written waiver examination will be scheduled, administered and evaluated by the instructors of the course. This process normally should be completed before the drop-add period is over at the beginning of the semester.
3. Substitute procedures for waiving a required course may include passing the final examination given in the course.

Transfer of Credits and Advanced Standing

Students seeking advanced standing or the transfer of credits to be applied toward their degrees for course work completed elsewhere should consult with their academic advisor, and thereafter must file a request with Associate Dean. Transfer credit (for MA students) and advanced standing (for PhD students) forms can be obtained in the Graduate Admissions Office on the downtown campus. Students should submit both the request form and syllabi and/or course descriptions from the university that granted the credit. Requests for the transfer of credits are governed by the following University and School guidelines.

Course work for which transfer credits are sought (1) must have been at the graduate level, (2) must have been completed with a grade of "B" or better, (3) must be relevant to the student's degree in criminal justice, and (4) if the credits are to be applied toward the M.A. degree, the course work must have been completed within six years of the date when a degree is expected to be earned from the University. No transfer credit is recognized for a Master's Thesis or Master's Essay completed at another University.

Appeal of matters related to transfer credits is to the Dean of the School, and thereafter to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Grading Policies: Academic Standards

The graduate school grading scale includes grades of A, B, C, D, E, S and U. Only grades of A, B, C and S result in course credits being awarded toward the graduate degree, and a "B" (3.0) average is required for a graduate degree to be awarded.

The University's Graduate Bulletin specifies that, "All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing during the course of their study; that is, to maintain an academic record consistent with the standard above. A student whose record falls much below those standards or which otherwise indicates a lack of ability or effort needed to succeed in graduate study will be denied permission for further study."

Under this provision, the School of Criminal Justice has adopted the following policies: In the event that a student's cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.0, the student shall be placed on academic probation, with the following consequences:

1. The student shall be required to consult with the Dean or Associate Dean concerning the causes and consequences of his/her academic performance;
2. The student shall be required to obtain the approval of his/her academic advisor concerning the schedule of classes in which s/he intends to enroll for each semester which his/her cumulative GPA remains below 3.0;
3. The student's performance shall be reviewed by the Student Performance Committee at the end of the semester of studies during which the student has been placed on academic probation. The student shall have the right to appear and be heard before the Committee. The Committee shall thereafter recommend to the faculty that:
• The student be relieved of his/her probationary status; or
• The student be continued on probationary status; or
• The student be denied permission for further study in the School; however, no recommendation shall be made that a student be denied permission for further study if the student's cumulative GPA is not, at the time of review, below 3.0.
4. The faculty shall receive the recommendation of the Student Performance Committee and render decision in the case of any student who has been placed on academic probation. Before the faculty take final action, the student shall have the right to appear before the entire faculty and be heard. The faculty may then:
• Relieve the student of his/her probationary status; or
• Continue the student on probationary status; or
• Deny the student permission for further study in the School; however, no such denial shall be made if the student's cumulative GPA is not, at the time of review, below 3.0.

If ever, with respect to any single academic semester, a student's semester GPA is at or below 2.5, the student's performance shall be reviewed by the Student Performance Committee, and the faculty, irrespective of the student's cumulative GPA. The same procedures and regulations shall apply as specified above. Action of the faculty denying a student permission for further study is reviewable by the Graduate Academic Council.

5. Independent Study and Research

No student will be allowed to register for CRJ 800 (Independent Study in Criminal Justice) or CRJ 801 (Independent Research in Criminal Justice) without a written memo signed by the professor under whom credits will be assigned. Independent study and independent research credits are graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The prior approval of the Student Performance Committee must be obtained before registration is permitted in either CRJ 800 or CRJ 80l under the following circumstances:

(1) By all M.A. students who seek to register for more than 3 credits of independent study or independent research within the first 30 credits of study;
(2) By any student desiring to enroll in greater than 6 (total) credits of independent study or research during any academic term.

Leaves of Absence

Students normally are expected to maintain continuous registration and enrollment status and make continuing progress toward completion of their degrees. However, leaves of absence may be granted under extenuating circumstances that entail significant personal hardship and prevent progress toward completion of degree requirements. Students who are on leave of absence are not entitled to use faculty resources or University resources and facilities. Students who plan to consult with faculty about academic work, including development of a prospectus or dissertation, must be in enrolled status.

Leave of absence requests must be made separately for each semester for which a leave is requested.

(1) Such requests normally must be filed by petition to the Dean at least one month before the end of the session which precedes the session during which the leave will be in effect. Emergency requests may be accepted and considered at any time.
(2) The Dean shall refer the request to the Student Performance Committee. If the request is for the student’s first or second semester of leave, the Committee shall recommend to the Dean whether it should be granted.
(3) In the event of additional leave requests, the Student Performance Committee shall make its recommendation to the entire faculty, which shall determine whether the leave should be granted. Pursuant to University policy, leaves may be extended for one year beyond an initial year “under compelling justification.”
(4) If a student must drop out during an academic session, normal withdrawal procedures should be followed. A leave of absence for the following session may be filed contemporaneously, if necessary.
(5) All leave requests must be approved by the School as well as the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Students who do not register and who are not granted a leave of absence will be terminated from further studies, barring exceptional circumstances. Students who are terminated must apply for readmission and pay an application fee.

In accordance with University policy, students eligible to register for CRJ 899 are not authorized to take leaves of absence.

Readmission

A student seeking readmission to study must apply to the Graduate Admissions Office and pay an application fee.

Non-Degree Admission

Individuals who have specific interests or professional needs but who do not intend to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree may apply to for admission as non-degree students. The Admissions and Awards Committee will review and make recommendations to the Dean on all such applications.

By university policy, non-degree students may take no more than 14 credits over a period not longer than two academic years. However, non-degree admission does not extend beyond a single semester, and students must apply for non-degree admission each semester in which they take classes. No registration will be allowed while such review is pending.

Research Rights

Students who work on research projects sponsored or directed by faculty members must obtain the prior consent of the faculty member(s) if they intend to publish information generated in the course of the project.

Applicable Academic Policies

The School has adopted a "grandfather clause" policy that students have a right to complete their academic programs under the degree requirements that existed at the time of their enrollment, to the extent that curriculum offerings make that possible. Alternatively, students may elect to complete degree requirements under the changes made in academic policies during their period of enrollment. Students electing to proceed under revised academic policies must comply with all requirements under the changed program.

School Letterhead

Students shall not use the letterhead of the School of Criminal Justice or have cards printed bearing the name of the School without clearly indicating on the involved writing their status as student.

II. School Governance
A. School By-Laws

The governance of the business of the School of Criminal Justice is through the combined action of the Dean, the faculty and students, subject to the rules and regulations of the University. Many important aspects of the School's governance are described and defined in the School's By-Laws. The provisions of this Handbook are to be construed consistently with those of the By-Laws.

B. Student Participation in School Governance
1. The Student Association

The Criminal Justice Graduate Student Association has been established to address the needs and advance the best interests of the University at Albany Criminal Justice graduate students. The rules governing its operation are provided in this Constitution and accompanying Election Procedure/Guidelines.

All currently enrolled graduate students in the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany are entitled to membership in the CRJGSA and shall be deemed members of the organization unless they state in writing that they do not deserve membership.

The CRJGSA Assembly shall act as the legislative body of the CRJGSA. It shall be responsible for approving the budget; developing, approving, and adopting policy of the CRJGSA; and relaying information from the CRJGSA to members and other interested persons. The CRJGSA Assembly shall be made up of 11 members: (a) President, (b) Vice President, (c) Treasurer, (d) two Advanced Representatives, (e) two At-Large Representatives, (f) two Second-Year representatives and (g) two First-Year representatives. General elections for the President, Vice President, Treasurer, two Advanced Representatives, two At-Large Representatives, and two Second-Year Representatives shall be held during the Spring Semester. General elections for the two First-Year Representatives shall be held during the Fall Semester not later than October 1.

Officers shall serve one year beginning June 1, except First-Year representatives, who shall serve from their election in the Fall Semester until the ensuing election for First-Year representatives.

The CRJGSA Assembly shall conduct meetings at least once each month during the Fall and Spring semesters. Each meeting shall be publicly announced no less than one week in advance. All meetings shall be open to all members of the CRJGSA.

2. Participation and Voting Rights

a. Subject to the exceptions enumerated below, the President and Administrator of the Student Association act as the voting representatives of the Student Association at all general faculty meetings.

b. The President and Administrator (or their designees) may be present, participate and vote at general faculty meetings except at such times as any of the following are under discussion:

(i) The employment, conditions of employment, or performance of members of the faculty, except as specifically provided herein;

(ii) The academic performance of individual students, including the granting of awards or fellowships;

(iii) The content of examinations by which student academic achievement is judged.

Before each general faculty meeting the Dean shall designate on the agenda which, if any, of the items scheduled for discussion fall within the described categories. These designations shall be subject to review by a majority vote of the faculty.

c. The Student Association may recommend the students who shall serve as members of the School's committees. Students who are members of committees shall have the same prerogatives as any other committee member, except that they are not to have access to individual student records, nor participate in academic or financial decisions relating to individual students.

(i) Students serving on committees shall be invited to attend the general faculty meetings when reports or recommendations from the committees on which they serve are scheduled for consideration, subject to the same rules of exclusion which apply to the general student representatives (see sec. 2.b., above). The Dean is to notify the student members of committees from which formal reports are expected of the time and place of the general faculty meetings at which such reports are to be considered.

(ii) The student committee members may participate in the discussion of the reports or recommendations of the committee at the general faculty meeting; the authority to vote, however, is retained by the general student representatives, unless otherwise specified.

d. Student participation in matters concerning the initial hiring of faculty to the School, and the promotion and continuing appointment of faculty members, is subject to the following specific provisions.

(i) Initial Appointments

The two general student representatives may cast votes on recommendations concerning the initial appointment of persons to the School's faculty. The student representatives should, to the best of their ability, poll and represent the sentiments of the student body in determining their votes.

(ii) Contract Renewals Not Involving Recommendations for Tenure or Promotion

Faculty consideration of matters of contract renewal occurs in executive session. The student body will receive timely notice of impending contract renewal decisions. Representatives selected by the students will communicate student sentiment regarding the candidate in question to the Dean. The Student Association shall formulate procedures to guide the solicitation of student sentiment and the manner in which the acquired information is related to the Dean.

(iii) Promotion and Tenure Recommendations

Student participation in personnel decisions which involve the promotion and tenure of persons already on the faculty is governed by the following procedures.

* The Personnel Committee for the academic year shall be appointed in the previous May, subsequent to the selection of the Chair of the Faculty for the coming year. The Student Association shall recommend as representatives to the Personnel Committee two Ph.D. students who will have completed at least their second semester by the end of that May. The two student representatives will be selected from a list compiled after collaboration by the faculty member who will be the subject of the personnel decision, the Dean, the Chair of the Faculty, and the President of the Student Association. The student members of the Personnel Committee who participate in the personnel decision of a given faculty member do not necessarily have to be the same as the students who will participate in the personnel decision of a different faculty member who is being considered for promotion or continuing appointment at a concurrent time.
* Students selected for the Personnel Committee shall have access to the complete file on each candidate being considered.
* After the Personnel Committee has assembled the file and before the faculty meeting at which the candidate is to be considered, the Student Association shall hold a meeting to discuss the candidate. This meeting shall be open to all full-time, matriculated graduate students in criminal justice and to all students admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. A quorum for this meeting shall be l5 such students. The Student Association may call as many such meetings as necessary until a quorum is obtained. At a meeting in which a quorum is obtained, the student members of the Personnel Committee will:
o provide to the group assembled the written teaching evaluation summary, copies of the candidate's vita, and written summaries, prepared by the Personnel Committee, of the confidential material (outside letters, peer review of teaching and of service) without identification; and
o lead a discussion of student reactions to the candidate. This discussion will emphasize student experiences with the candidate as teacher, including his or her availability for consultation and effectiveness as dissertation and thesis advisor. After the discussion, anonymous written ballots, including comments, will be taken from those present at the discussion. Based on the ballots, comments, and discussion, the students at the meeting shall decide how to cast the two student votes at the subsequent faculty meeting. Subsequent to this decision, the student members of the Personnel Committee will assemble a written report to be presented at the faculty meeting considering the candidate. The report shall reflect the preponderance of student opinion, rather than a specific tally, and shall indicate how many students took part in the meeting.
* In the event that the students fail to achieve a meeting with a quorum prior to the faculty meeting for consideration of the candidate, then the two student members of the Personnel Committee shall vote as individuals at the faculty meeting, rather than as instructed by the student decision in (c) above.
* The two student members of the Personnel Committee shall then attend the faculty meeting in which the candidate for tenure and/or promotion is being considered. They shall participate in the general discussion at this meeting, before those attending the meeting divide into voting groups. During this meeting the student members will participate as representatives or as individuals depending on whether procedures in (c) or (d) above apply. The student members of the Personnel Committee, rather than the regular Student Association representatives to the general faculty meeting, shall have voting power.

C. School Committees: Membership and Responsibilities

Much of the School's business is initiated or conducted in committee. A number of standing committees exist, which are described below. Other standing committees may be established by majority vote of the faculty. Ad hoc and temporary committees may be created without faculty action, but the authority of such committees must be confirmed by resolution of the faculty before their reports can be received. The Chair of the Faculty may appoint the members of ad hoc and temporary committees.

1. Graduate Admissions and Awards Committee

This committee shall consist of not less than three faculty members and two students. Its responsibilities include making recommendations to the faculty on criteria for the admission of students to the School of Criminal Justice, on policies governing the award of fellowships and assistantships, and on programs for the recruitment of students. Within guidelines approved by the faculty, the Admissions and Awards Committee shall be responsible for the administration and implementation of the policies governing admissions, awards and student recruitment. The participation and voting of the student members of the committee are subject to the same limitations as specified in section B.2, above; rather than participating in decisions affecting individual students, the student members of the committee participate in the development of relevant policies and procedures.

2. Undergraduate Admissions and Awards Committee

This committee should consist of three faculty members. Its responsibilities include evaluating applications to the major both of native and transfer students, and evaluating nominations for the Newman Award.

3. Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee

This committee shall consist of at least three faculty members and two students. It is responsible for making recommendations to the faculty concerning the overall academic program of the School, including course requirements, examination and grading policies, and the curriculum to be presented. Within guidelines approved by the faculty, the committee shall be responsible for the administration and implementation of the School's graduate and undergraduate curriculum and educational policies.

4. Faculty Search Committee

This committee shall include at least three faculty members and two students. It serves, as necessary, to organize, coordinate and administer the School's efforts to recruit new faculty members to the School of Criminal Justice faculty, under the guidelines approved by the faculty.

5. Graduate Advising Committee

This committee shall consist of the Associate Dean plus two faculty members to serve as advisors to graduate students.

6. Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee shall consist of at least three faculty members and two students. It is responsible for compiling and making available to the faculty information which is necessary and relevant to personnel decisions including the continuing appointment, promotion and tenure of members of the faculty. The selection and service of the student members of this committee are subject to the provisions of sec B.2.d., above.

7. Student Performance Committee

This committee shall consist of not less than three faculty members and two students. It is responsible for making recommendations concerning the general criteria, procedures and policies for the academic evaluation of students, including those with respect to the general examinations required for the admission of students to degree candidacy, and for the implementation of those policies approved by the faculty. It is further responsible for making recommendations to the faculty concerning academic matters which pertain to individual students; the participation of the student members of the Student Performance Committee is limited according to the provisions of sec. B.2.c., above.

D. Grievance Procedures

Grievances occasionally arise on matters related to the School's business which may involve students, faculty, and staff. The following procedure has been established to govern the resolution of grievances in the School of Criminal Justice.

STEP I

1. Any member of the School of Criminal Justice, who, after careful appraisal, comes to the conclusion that a specific act, set of acts, or continuing practice of another member of the School of Criminal Justice, provides grounds for grievance action, must first discuss the issue fully with the party involved, within six weeks of the alleged occurrence of the grievance action, absent exceptional circumstances. Every effort to achieve satisfactory resolution of the problem should be made through such direct discussion. If the grievance is of a personal nature such that the grieved party cannot approach directly the object of grievance (hereinafter the "respondent"), then the grievant should go directly to the Dean within the above time period, and the Dean will use his/her good auspices to resolve the matter informally, as in STEP I.3 below.

2. If the matter remains unresolved, as evidence that Stage I of the procedure has been completed, a letter should be provided by the grievant to the Dean, with a copy to the respondent, to the effect that the respondent has been consulted by the grievant and that no resolution satisfactory to both parties has been achieved. The grievant should also include in this letter a detailed statement of the substance of the grievance. The grievant must provide this letter to the Dean within two weeks of the time that the steps taken in the preceding paragraph have been completed. At this time the Dean may request a letter of response from the respondent. If the respondent is unable or unwilling to respond, this should be so noted by the Dean.

3. The Dean of the School of Criminal Justice within six weeks of receipt of this documentation shall use his/her good auspices to attempt to settle the matter with the involved individuals. The Dean should make a thorough investigation of the case and make every effort to resolve the problem at this level. As evidence that this stage of the procedure has been completed, a letter should be provided by the Dean to the grievant to the effect that the Dean has been consulted concerning the grievance and whether a resolution or lack of resolution was achieved. A copy of this letter should be submitted as part of the documentation required in Step II together with all other written documentation so far produced.

4. If the Dean is him/herself an object of the grievance, the Chair of the Faculty should substitute. If both are involved, then the Associate Dean should substitute, or appoint another third party from the faculty.

STEP II

1. If no resolution is reached in Step I, the grievant may, within four weeks of the time that all actions required in Step I have been completed, petition the Student Performance Committee to establish an ad hoc Grievance Sub-committee hearing and finding. The petition should contain copies of all the letters and statements referred to in Step I. The chair of the Student Performance Committee should verify the authenticity of those letters and statements. In addition, the grievant should be invited to modify or amend his/her statement concerning the original grievance, a copy of which would be given to the respondent, who may respond, with a copy also to the grievant. These statements should also include suggestions for a satisfactory remedy.

2. No action will be taken by the Student Performance Committee to establish an ad hoc Grievance Sub-committee until all documentation relating to the grievance-claim has been supplied in full. If the Committee adjudges that the petition and any or all accompanying materials are incomplete, the Committee shall return the petition to the grievant who shall then resubmit the petition.

3. The Committee shall be composed of 3 faculty members (one of whom shall serve as chair) and two graduate students; however, in the case of a grievance involving an undergraduate student, one of the student members will be an undergraduate student. All members of the ad hoc committee shall be appointed by the Chair of the Faculty in consultation with the Chair of the Student Performance committee, or by appropriate substitutes (see Step I, para.4) if such individuals are directly involved in the grievance. In the appointment of student members to the committee, the President of the Student Association will be consulted. Both grievant and respondent may object to any appointment. This must be done in writing to the Chair of the Student Performance Committee, who will use every effort to assemble qualified individuals acceptable to all parties.

STEP III

1. Upon receiving a completed petition for its review of the grievance claim, the grievance sub-committee will first determine whether that petition provides adequate ground for its action. If there is a majority vote of the sub-committee that it does provide such grounds, the sub-committee is to make every effort to conduct as thorough an investigation as the case warrants and arrive at a statement of findings within 60 days of receiving the statement of grievance and supporting materials. This investigation may include the following:

a. Collection of documents relevant to the case.

b. Interviewing by the committee as a whole, or by a majority of the committee, all individuals the committee considers relevant to a resolution of the case. If individuals refuse to be interviewed, this should be noted and submitted as a written record by the committee to the file.

c. After the information gathering process in (b) is complete, the ad hoc committee shall schedule a meeting to review the evidence. At this point, the grievant and the respondent have the right to appear before the ad hoc committee to present their respective positions regarding the grievance, and to be present while their counterparts' positions are presented. Grievant's or respondent's role will be limited to observation and note taking, except for their own respective presentation.

d. The ad hoc grievance committee meetings shall be conducted in camera. No counsel shall be permitted to attend the meetings.

e. The grievant shall have the burden of proving facts essential to the resolution of the grievance by a preponderance of evidence.

STEP IV

1. The Grievance Sub-committee shall prepare and send a written statement of its findings, together with its recommendation of resolution of the grievance claim to the Student Performance Committee. Grievants should realize, however, that a Grievance Committee does not have the power to enforce any of its findings. It can only recommend remedies to the appropriate person(s). Upon acceptance of the Sub-committee's written report, copies of this report will be sent to: (1) the grievant(s), (2) the respondent(s), (3) the Dean of the School of Criminal Justice.

2. The Student Performance Committee shall provide a summary of its findings and recommendations to the Faculty Meeting Executive session, for information only.

3. The Dean shall, within 30 days of receipt of the sub-committee's findings, report the position of the Office of the Dean on the grievance claim. Copies of this report shall be distributed to all parties noted above, including the faculty.

4. The findings of the ad hoc Grievance Sub-committee or of the Dean may be appealed by either grievant or respondent to the appropriate University Governance bodies such as the Committee on Academic Standing of the Undergraduate Academic Council, the Graduate Academic Council, the University Disciplinary Council, etc.

5. Records of the entire grievance process will be kept in the Dean's office, in a separate, secure file. The grievant or respondent may request that copies of these records be kept in either the student file or personnel file accordingly.

E. Course Evaluations

1. Professors who are not tenured or who are eligible for promotion must have their courses evaluated for consideration in personnel decisions. Professors who teach undergraduate courses should also make arrangements for the distribution and collection of student evaluations of their courses.

2. The Student Association may make arrangements for the distribution and publication of course evaluations for its informational purposes, subject to the following:

a. Secretarial and administrative aid, including photocopying, will be provided by the School for processing and evaluating the course and professor evaluation data collected by the Student Association.

b. Faculty members are not obligated to cooperate with or assist in the production or distribution of the evaluation forms.

c. The faculty encourage the Student Association:

(i) To include in each published evaluation a disclaimer, stating that the School of Criminal Justice has no responsibility for the collection, organization or presentation of the evaluation;

(ii) To report results only when at least 50% of the eligible respondents reply to the questionnaires;

(iii) To record the total eligible number of respondents for each course reviewed in any given evaluation; and

(iv) To require that all evaluations submitted be signed by the respondents.

III. Fellowships and Assistantships
A. Fellowships

Most fellowship and assistantship support in the School is awarded to entering and continuing PhD students. Fellowships typically are awarded only to first-year graduate students upon their admission to the School. They are conferred upon the recommendation of the Graduate Admissions and Awards Committee, and are reserved for those students who have superior academic records.

(1) A full fellowship award includes a stipend in an amount set by the University, and provides for a tuition scholarship covering l2 or more graduate credits per semester. Partial fellowships may be awarded. University fees are not waived under the terms of a fellowship.
(2) Fellowship recipients generally are required to register for at least l2 credits of course work per semester. They must comply with other requirements which accompany financial awards.
(3) Fellowship recipients are expected to complete their course work requirements and remain students in good standing.

B. Assistantships

Assistantships generally are awarded to qualifying Ph.D. students beyond the first year of graduate study. Unlike fellowships, assistantships require that the student complete tasks assigned by the faculty or designated administrative personnel. The School recognizes an obligation that the assistantships which it oversees involve appropriate educational experiences; it is inappropriate, for example, for graduate assistants to be required to perform tasks which are largely clerical or to be asked to undertake tasks of a personal nature for the person to whom they are assigned. Students who receive assistantships are expected to fulfill the obligations which accompany these awards, and must comply with the registration and other requirements which accompany their awards.

Students may be offered assistantships by the School (which may entail teaching, research, or administrative responsibilities), or through the Hindelang Research Center. School assistantships are managed by the Dean’s office. Appointments to Hindelang Center assistantships are made by individual project directors, and are coordinated through the Research Center. The specific amounts of awards and tuition scholarships are determined by the School, the Center, and the university.

(1) Assistants must register for not less than 9 nor more than 10 credits per semester unless eligible to register for CRJ 899. Other requirements which accompany financial awards also must be satisfied.

(2) Teaching Assistants normally teach one undergraduate course per semester. Research assistants are ordinarily expected to work twenty hours per week, as arranged by the project director and/or supervising faculty member.

C. Criteria and Procedures Governing the Award of Assistantships

School-managed assistantships are awarded based upon the School's evaluation of several considerations, including applicants' academic performance and progress, the skills required to fulfill the obligations of assistantships, and program and curriculum needs.

Students' academic performance and potential are evaluated upon (1) course grades and cumulative grade point average (GPA) earned during graduate studies at the School, (2) progress toward the Ph.D. degree, and (3) other relevant academic accomplishments, including performance in S/U classes, and on tool and comprehensive examinations, publications, research projects, participation in academic conferences, and related activities.

In addition to academic capabilities, teaching and research assistantships require communicative, interpersonal, and other task-related skills. Special competence occasionally may be required of graduate assistants in specific subject or research areas in order to meet program or curriculum needs. The School accordingly considers applicants' suitability to perform the several duties associated with assistantships, as well as curriculum and program needs when awarding graduate assistantships.

Upon acceptance of their awards students are expected to be making a commitment of two academic semesters to their positions, unless there is a specific agreement to the contrary. (The School's ability to fill, and even offer assistantships, may be jeopardized by students who accept, and subsequently relinquish assistantship positions.) Students should not accept an offer of a new assistantship without ensuring that they are released by the School or a project director from any previous commitments they have made.

The recipients of fellowships and assistantships must comply with the following general requirements:

(1) All graduate fellows and assistants must have been formally admitted to a regular degree program and must maintain a satisfactory standard of academic performance in order for their fellowships and assistantships to be continued.

(2) Unless otherwise specified, recipients of fellowships and assistantships are understood to be making a commitment to the terms of their awards for a period of two academic semesters. Those who leave the School or terminate their positions before the mid-semester date may forfeit the tuition waiver associated with their original awards.

(3) In order to qualify for tuition scholarships, all graduate fellows and assistants must apply through the University for New York State's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Students (other than International Students) who qualify for tuition scholarships must apply for and be granted New York State residency prior to beginning their second year of study, or else pay the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition.

(4) University policy is that recipients of financial awards may not hold two assistantships or fellowships of any kind simultaneously. This restriction does not include Veterans Educational Assistance Allowance.

(5) University policy is that recipients of fellowships and assistantships are expected to refrain from engaging in outside employment during the terms of their appointments. Exceptions may be authorized by the Dean when recommended by the student's major advisor. Exceptions will be based on educational, rather than financial need.

2. Procedures

The School will solicit and accept applications for School-managed assistantships in the early part of each spring semester, for the following academic year. Students who are offered multiple-year stipends (e.g., a first-year fellowship and assistantships in subsequent years) must complete applications, since the information on the application is critical to making timely assignments based on interest areas, expertise, and experience. Appointments to research and/or teaching positions shall be governed by both the student’s interests and abilities, and the School’s program and curricular needs.

A multi-year funding commitment may be fulfilled by the School through any combination of School fellowships and assistantships, and Hindelang Center assistantships. While the School will make every effort to coordinate opportunities and share information about eligible students with Hindelang Center project directors, it is up to the student to apply for assistantship openings on projects, which may become available at any time during the year, and to keep the Dean’s office apprised of any assistantships that are offered and accepted. A student who has accepted a teaching assistantship may not subsequently accept another assistantship without requesting and being given a release from the teaching obligation by the Dean’s office.