Ph.D. in International Crime and Justice

To be considered for the program, applicants must fulfill all of the below requirements. Admission to the ICJ Ph.D. program is a competitive process with limited available spaces. Therefore, not all the applicants who meet the minimum requirements will be admitted to the program.

Minimum Requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
2. GPA of 3.2 or higher in upper-division coursework or a 3.2 or higher for all master's degree coursework.
3. Grade of “B” or better in an undergraduate or graduate research methods course.
4. International applicants whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate the English language through one of the following:
   
   • 80 on the iBT TOEFL (equivalent to 550 on the paper-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language).
   • 6.5 overall on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
   • 53 Pearson Test of English - Academic.
   • Cambridge English – Advanced.
   • Applicants who hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English.

Required Documents:

1. Online graduate application, including the non-refundable fee. We admit students in the fall and spring semesters. Deadlines:
   • Fall (starts in August) - February 15
   • Spring (starts in January) - August 1
2. Official university/college transcripts from all institutions previously attended. Applicants who graduated from FIU do not need to request FIU transcripts. Information on submitting transcripts.
3. Two letters of recommendation from professors or employers familiar with your academic and professional qualifications. Submit through the online graduate application portal.
4. A statement of purpose describing the following (about 500 words):
   • Your long-term research goals and how they fit with the research conducted in the ICJ Ph.D. program. 
   • Specific skills, knowledge, and abilities that qualify you to be a successful student in the ICJ Ph.D. program.
   • Your long-term plans to commit to completing coursework and independent research simultaneously. A commitment that may take 5-7 years, on average.
   • Interest in a graduate assistantship, if any.
5. Completed research paper or thesis that demonstrates writing skills. Submit through the online graduate application portal.

Required Core Courses (30 credits)

• CCJ 6025 Criminological Theory
• CCJ 6705 Research Methods in Criminal Justice
• CCJ 6706 Data Analysis in Criminal Justice
• CCJ 6741 Advanced Data Analysis in Criminal Justice
• CCJ 6079 Geospatial Crime Analysis
• CCJ 6485 Criminal Justice Policy Analysis (Pre-requisite: 15 credits of criminal justice graduate courses)
• CCJ 6040 Comparative Crime and Criminal Justice Systems
• CCJ 6675 Applied Research in Human Rights
• CCJ 6676 Transnational Crime and National Security
• CCJ 6926 Teaching Methods & Strategies

Research Tools Requirement (9 credits)

Classes that may satisfy the research tools requirement include quantitative analysis, legal research, grant writing, qualitative research methods, program evaluation, and performance measures, survey research and design, and secondary analysis. This listing is not intended to be exhaustive. Approval of the research tools by the graduate director is required.

International Crime and Justice Electives (9 credits)

Students must complete a minimum of nine credits from the following list:

• CCJ 6047 International Criminal Justice
• CCJ 6620 Immigration and Crime
• CCJ 6696 Human Trafficking
• CJE 6025 Comparative Policing
• DSC 6020 Terrorism and Homeland Security

Other course approved by the graduate director.

General Electives (9 credits)

Students may complete nine credits of general electives outside the department as approved by the graduate director.

Comprehensive Exam and Dissertation (18 credits). These two milestones can take 2+ years to complete.

Dissertation requirements and student forms are available online.

• CCJ 7960 Comprehensive Exam (3)
• CCJ 7980 Ph.D. Dissertation (15)

The dissertation shall be written in a form that is mechanically sound and grammatically correct. The following are recommendations made by the Department:

1. Grammarly. An online program to assist students with grammar.
2. Scribbr. An online service provider for proofreading and editing.

The Ph.D. in International Crime and Justice requires a minimum of 75 credit hours total—57 credit hours of coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree, 3 credit hours of comprehensive exam, and 15 credit hours of dissertation. A minimum of 30 credit hours must be earned in academic courses that are part of the doctoral program (excludes, comprehensive exam, and dissertation credits). A maximum of 27 credits are transferable from a completed master’s degree program with the approval of the graduate program director. 

Doctoral programs normally include courses at the 6000 level and above. Courses at the 5000 level may be included in a doctoral degree program in appropriate cases. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for graduation. All program requirements, including the dissertation, must be approved by the University Graduate School. 

Funded students should aim to complete the ICJ Ph.D. program within the allotted years of funding—4 years for students entering with a bachelor’s degree and 5 years for students entering with a master’s degree. 

Award of M.S. en route to Ph.D.: Students with a bachelor’s degree directly admitted into the Ph.D. program may apply to be awarded the M.S. degree in Criminal Justice. To be eligible students must have completed all degree requirements of the M.S. in Criminal Justice, have on file a UGS approved Dissertation Proposal, and be currently enrolled in good academic standing.

ICJ Ph.D. Student Handbook

ICJ Pathway to Success

ICJ Comp and Dissertation Process