Combined Criminal Justices BS/MS

• Official Junior standing or higher as determined by credit hours
• Major GPA of at least 3.4 (at the time of application) including restrictive electives.
• Overall GPA of at least 3.2.
• Transfer students must have completed a minimum of 15 hours at FGCU with an earned FGCU GPA of 3.2 or higher.
• Students are required to consult with their undergraduate academic advisor to ensure they 
  meet these requirements prior to applying for the combined program and to also notify their 
  academic advisor of their intent to apply to this combined program. 

• First: Thoroughly read the linked combined program acknowledgement and rules form on this webpage and then set up a meeting with your undergraduate advisor to discuss the coursework (both inside and outside of the major) you have left to complete your undergraduate degree in criminal justice. Confirm with your undergraduate advisor that you have the basic requirements to participate in this combined pathway. You must ensure that you meet with your advisor well in advance of the application due date.
• Second: Submit a formal email, including your FGCU UIN and name of advisor to Dr. Ladny at rladny@fgcu.edu indicating your interest in pursuing the combined B.S/M.S pathway. Dr. Ladny will then verify your academic record and communicate with your advisor to make sure you meet the basic requirements and to determine which undergraduate courses you can substitute.
• Third: If you meet the requirements and have not already accessed this form, you will be emailed a copy of this form to read and sign. Signing this agreement form does not bind you to pursue the combined program if you decide on a different path. If you understand and agree with the conditions listed in this document, then proceed to step four.
• Fourth: This last step entails the application materials with consist of a personal statement of goals and interests and two letters of recommendation. Email a personal statement of at least one double spaced page discussing your reason for pursuing graduate work in Criminal Justice and how both the combined pathway and the graduate program will be useful for your career goals after completion. Atain two letters of recommendation that support your admission into the combined B.S/M.S pathway/program in criminal justice. Letters of recommendations can come from professors, employers, internship supervisors, and anyone who can attest to why you will make a strong candidate for graduate level course work. Letter writers should submit letters directly to rladny@fgcu.edu. These letters must be received by the above-mentioned deadlines.
• The Graduate Coordinator and additional faculty in the department will review applications. The Graduate Coordinator will communicate the decision to applicants through a formal email with a request to read and sign this form if this has not already been done. Students must send a confirmation with their formal acceptance to rladny@fgcu.edu.
• The Graduate Coordinator will then notify the Office of the Registrar to add the UGGR label (UG-GR combined program) for accepted students and will also notify the student’s advisor.

• Candidates for the combined B.S./M.S. program will apply during their junior year by submitting application materials to the M.S. in Criminal Justice
  Graduate Coordinator at rladny@fgcu.edu.
• For students who plan to begin taking graduate classes in the spring semester:
  Candidates must have all application material submitted no later than October 20th in the previous fall semester.
• For students who plan to begin taking graduate classes in either the summer or fall
  semesters:
   Candidates must have all application material submitted no later than March 30th of the prior spring semester.

These deadline dates ensure the committee has enough time to properly review applications and communicate decisions in time for students to register for classes.

• The Graduate Coordinator and additional faculty in the department will review applications. The 
  Graduate Coordinator will communicate the decision to applicants through a formal email with a 
  request to read and sign this form. The Graduate Coordinator will notify the Office of the 
  Registrar to add the UGGR (UG-GR combined program) for accepted students.

• Students will remain classified as undergraduates until their bachelor’s degree is awarded, and students must apply for the M.S. in CJ Program within one semester before graduating from the B.S. in CJ Program.
• Students should review the application requirements for the M.S in CJ program by visiting: https://www.fgcu.edu/cas/departments/js/cjms/
• 12 credits will be double counted for the B.S. and M.S. in Criminal Justice program. No more than 12 undergraduate credits can be substituted.
• The 12 credits of undergraduate coursework that will be waive/substituted will come first from elective requirements.
  • Students are required to complete free electives in order to meet the number of credits for the CJ degrees.
  • If all free electives have been met, then, the student can waive classes from the CJ upper-level elective required courses (9 credits).
  • If for some reason the student has completed all electives, then they will be allowed to substitute one core CJ class, which will be decided by the graduate program coordinator.
• Students are allowed to substitute a maximum of 3 credits of required core CJ coursework and only if they have already completed all their elective requirements.
• There may be unique cases where up to 6 credits of required core CJ coursework class can be substituted and that will be determined by the graduate coordinator.
  • The following core classes cannot be substituted under any condition:
    • CCJ 3700 Methods in Criminal Justice Research
    • CCJ 3701 Criminal Justice Data Analysis
    • CCJ 4940 Internship in Criminal Justice
• Total credits for the combined program will be 144 credit hours.
• Students must achieve an overall average of 3.0 for the 12 graduate credits taken while at the undergraduate level.