Dec 12, 2024  
2023-2024 University Catalog 
    
2023-2024 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Criminal Justice, M.S./J.D.


Offered with the RWU School of Law. Full-time enrollment required.

Drawing on the strengths of the Roger Williams University School of Law as well as the School of Justice Studies, RWU offers a concentrated joint degree program for students interested in criminal justice. The dual degree program allows matriculated students to complete the Juris Doctor (JD) and the Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) in an accelerated period of study. To earn the degree students must complete 78 credits at the School of Law and 24 credits in the School of Justice Studies. The School of Law and the School of Justice Studies will each accept 12 transfer credits from the other. The effect of these credit transfers between the School of Law and the School of Justice Studies would be to reduce the overall time needed to complete both degrees from four and a half years to three and a half years, assuming full-time study.

Program Requirements


Note:


Applicants applying for the Joint M.S./J.D. degree must apply to and earn acceptance into the Graduate School of Justice Studies and the School of Law separately. Applicants who intend to pursue the joint degree must so indicate on the application for admission. Applications should be submitted sufficiently in advance of the application deadline to assure adequate processing time at both Schools. Ordinarily, applications to each school would be filed simultaneously, even if the student will not be taking courses at both schools during the first year of study. However, a student matriculated in either the M.S. or J.D. program could apply to the other school in order to pursue the joint degree prior to the end of the first year of study.

Required Courses


Transferable Course Requirements for the Joint M.S./J.D. Degree Program:


The Four School of Law Courses that are Transferable to Justice Studies are:

  • LAW 623 - Criminal Law
  • LAW 627 - Criminal Procedure - Investigation
  • LAW 682 - Criminal Procedure - Adjudication
A LAW elective from one of the following:

  • LAW 631 - Administrative Law
  • LAW 681 - Advanced Evidence
  • LAW 860 - Criminal Defense Clinic
  • LSM 890 - Seminar in Domestic Violence
Note:

Visit the School of Justice to see the full degree plan.