The accelerated BA/MA program enables high achieving undergraduate CJ majors to begin fulfilling requirements for a master’s degree while completing the bachelor’s degree. The program is designed so that students may complete their MA degree in one year, including courses during two summers, after graduating with their BA degree. The total completion time for the accelerated program is 15-months post-graduation.
Widener undergraduates with an overall GPA of 2.8 and a Criminal Justice GPA of 3.0 may apply for the combined BA/MA program once they have junior-level status. Students must complete at least four undergraduate criminal justice courses before applying to the accelerated program. The deadline for application is October 1 of the junior year.
Upon acceptance to the accelerated program, students will take three graduate classes (9 credits) in their senior year that will count toward both their BA and MA degrees. Students accepted into the accelerated program will not take the undergraduate required CJ 380 course (Research Methods), and will be required to take one fewer general elective (3 credits), and one fewer Criminal Justice elective. Students are advised to save their electives so that the graduate level classes can count as electives in their major. Students, after graduating with their BA degree, will take the remaining 21 credits as a graduate student during their fifth year at Widener University (including two summer semesters, a fall semester, and a spring semester). Students in the accelerated program will be able to participate (walk) in the May commencement ceremony for their MCJ degree if all 30 graduate credits are not yet completed when the following requirements are met: they have successfully completed Thesis Part 1 (CJ 697), they have no more than 6 remaining credits, and they are registered for those credits in the upcoming summer session. Students accepted into the accelerated program must meet with the Program Director prior to registering for any graduate level courses.
Students accepted to the accelerated program are expected to complete the Master’s degree and cannot apply graduate courses taken during their Senior year to a graduate certificate in Criminal Justice.
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