Master's Exit Options

Criminal justice graduate students can choose two exit options: a thesis or a culminating research experience. The two options vary with workload, written components, and formatting options.

Workload: The thesis requires 6 credit hours. The culminating research experience requires 3

Written Components: A thesis usually contains specific components (written chapters), a literature review, theoretical framework, methodology, analysis of data, results, and discussion. A culminating research project may not contain all these components.

Formatting: A thesis needs to meet specific University guidelines. A culminating research project needs to meet department and faculty supervisor expectations.

Thesis

The thesis option gives you the opportunity to research a topic and write a scholarly paper on your findings.

The thesis takes a semester to complete. You'll select your topic and a three-person committee.

Participation Requirements

To participate in the thesis option, you must have 33 hours of coursework. These hours include 15 hours of required courses (CJS 401, 497, 440, and 499) and 18 hours of electives. 

Learn more about completing a thesis from Illinois State's graduate school.

Culminating Research Experience

The culminating research experience gives you the opportunity to work with a faculty member on an independent study. You can choose the topic that most interests you and a faculty member that would be the best match.

Participation Requirements

To participate in the culminating research experience, you must have 36 hours of coursework. These hours include 12 hours of required courses (CJS 401, 497, 440, and 400) and 24 hours of electives.

The Graduate School allows a maximum of 6 independent study hours (CJS 400) to be applied toward graduation. Since the research experience is 3 hours, students can only take an additional 3 credit hours of CJS 400 as elective hours.

Enrollment

You'll complete your culminating research experience during your final semester. Here's how to enroll:

1. 1. Work with your faculty supervisor to complete the appropriate form. Together, you will:
      • develop your project
      • create a tentative bibliography
      • write an overview of the written product
      • propose a presentation venue
   2. Email the signed form, proposal, and tentative bibliography to Dr. Brent Teasdale

On your independent study form, select "RESEARCH PROJECT," so that it is recorded as a Culminating Research Experience.

Proposed projects must reflect graduate-level expectations. This typically includes 10 scholarly resources and ten pages of text for each academic credit hour or its equivalent. For example, three hours of CJS 400 would mandate 30 scholarly resources and 30 written pages at a minimum.

Project work can begin before your final semester. Work with your faculty supervisor to determine an appropriate timeline for your project.

Project Requirements

Specific requirements for all culminating research experiences include:

• Identification of a research problem you are going to explore/address
• An original argument, insight, or analysis
• A proposed solution or recommendations to the problem based on your research
• A written product and oral presentation

Presentation

Spring semester students will present projects at the annual University Research symposium.

Fall semester students will present projects at the departmental symposium at the end of the semester.

Evaluation Criteria

You'll receive a grade at the end of your culminating research experience. All projects are assessed using the following criteria:

• Understanding of the topic
• Methodological approach
• Application of knowledge to the proposed solution
• Meeting agreed upon requirements
• Quality of written product
• Quality of oral presentation
• Overall quality of the project