Department of Social Work and Social Ecology
Admissions
Master of Science in Criminal Justice
All applicants must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college (official transcripts are evidence of courses completed).
All applicants must submit a completed online application including a personal statement, application fee, all college and/or university transcripts, and submission of three letters of recommendation (including one from an academic source and one from a work supervisor).
All applicants must meet the minimum academic and professional compatibility criteria as indicated:
This program follows the admission requirements of the School of Behavioral Health, including:
- Applicants must demonstrate satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). For admission with regular status, satisfactory performance is defined as a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000, and an analytical writing score of 4.0. Students submitting lower scores may be considered for provisional status, OR the applicant must demonstrate satisfactory performance on a Critical Essay Examination (CEE) administered by the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology under the guidance of the School of Behavioral Health. For admission with regular status, satisfactory performance for the CEE is defined as a minimum pass rate of 75 percent.
- Applicants must demonstrate satisfactory adherence with the minimum academic and professional compatibility criteria established by the program, which includes:
- A cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale) (special consideration may be given to applicants with grade-point averages as low as 2.75 if the last part of their college work shows significant improvement).
- Evidence of professional compatibility, personal qualifications, and motivation to complete a graduate program by obtaining a passing score on the admissions interview with the program's admissions committee. Evaluation criteria for the interview include:
- verbal communication skills,
- critical-thinking ability,
- values congruent with the profession of criminal justice,
- appreciation of human diversity,
- evidence of reflective learning, and
- comportment.
These admissions criteria areas are designed to capture the School of Behavioral Health's and the program's determination of the initial attributes important in completion of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice as well as professional and program compatibility. Final decisions are based upon a composite score of all of the above items.
Liberal arts requirement:
- Humanities (e.g., history, philosophy, literature, art, music, etc.) (20-24)
- English and communication skills (e.g., oral and written communication media, etc.) (8-12)
- Mathematics and natural sciences (e.g., mathematics, human biology, physiology, etc.) (12-16)
- Social sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, human development, ethnic studies, economics, political science or government, etc.) (12-16)
Potential applicants may receive general admissions information from the School of Behavioral Health office of admissions. Requests for specific information about each program should be directed to the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology's admissions coordinator. Application packets are free and include a letter of introduction, Virtual Tour of LLU DVD, program fact sheet, course advisement guide, and general information. Click here for information on the Graduate Record Examination. Loma Linda’s GRE Institution Code is 4062.
School of Behavioral Health Admissions
(909) 558-1900 or 1-800-422-4558
admission.sst@llu.eduDepartment of Social Work and Social Ecology
Admissions Coordinator
Judy Rynearson
jrynearson@llu.edu
(909) 379-7575
All applicants must submit their applications online. Applicants can also monitor the status of their applications online. In addition, the School of Behavioral Health office of admission informs all applicants when their files are complete or if additional information is required. The department's admissions coordinator reviews all completed applicant files and contacts the candidates for admissions interviews.
Admissions decision making
Criminal justice education programs are accountable to the profession to prepare individuals for competent, compassionate, and ethical practice. This charge carries with it responsibility for what is known as "gatekeeping," or the process of selecting, admitting, continuing, and graduating individuals who are suitable for participating in and advancing professional practice. In support of this view, the courts consider graduate professional education as a privilege and not a constitutional or property right. Admission into the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program is based upon an evaluation of an applicant's suitability for professional practice. As such, this screening includes an evaluation of the applicants' academic potential as measured through School of Behavioral Health and department admissions criteria.
The department’s admissions committee forwards a recommendation of regular, deferred, or denied status to the dean of the School of Behavioral Health for confirmation. Reasons for designation are given to applicants who receive other than regular acceptance. All applicants are first notified by the dean's office of their admissions status. Accepted students must then acknowledge in writing their intentions to reserve their place in the program.
Students should refer to the Loma Linda University Catalog for information regarding transfer to a different degree program.
Students may not be admitted to a School of Behavioral Health program while admitted to another program at this University or elsewhere. Combined-degree programs are exempt from this policy. See Loma Linda University Catalog.
Regular status is given to applicants when all of the following conditions are met:
- their scholarship (GPA) meets the stated admissions requirements of the School of Behavioral Health
- they are deemed suitable for pursuit post baccalaureate education
- their admissions documentation is complete.
Deferred decision is given to applicants:
- whose scholarship does not reach the standards established for provisional acceptance but for whom post baccalaureate work may be possible with additional evidence of academic preparation, and/or scholastic consistency
- who will not complete their undergraduate degree by the requested admission date
- who are substantially lacking adequate undergraduate prerequisite preparation
- whose admissions documentation is incomplete at the time of notification of the application review.
In cases where admission is deferred, the department may choose to send the school a list of the additional requirements that must be met before the applicant can be admitted.
Denied status is given when an applicant receives an admissions score below the minimum required for acceptance into the program as provisional or deferred status and/or the delineation of scholastic improvement options is considered to be substantial and suggest unreasonable hardship for the applicant.