Criminology and Criminal Justice
Brandon K. Applegate, Chair
Patricia Armstrong, Director of Academic Programs
The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers programs leading to the M.A. degree with a major in Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Faculty research and teaching interests span a wide variety of crime- and criminal justice-related topics, including policing, courts, corrections, law and policy, macro- and microlevel criminological theory, sentencing, victimization, and program evaluation. Graduates from these programs are well-prepared to enter teaching, research, or policy-making positions in the criminal justice system.
Financial Assistance
The department offers financial support in the form of graduate assistantships and fellowships. Both are awarded on a competitive basis to incoming graduate students and are dependent on available resources. There is no separate application for an assistantship or fellowship. All full-time students who have a completed application, express a desire for funding, and have been accepted into a graduate program will be considered. Applicants requesting all other types of financial assistance should apply to the director of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
M.A. / J.D. Dual Degree Program
The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, in cooperation with the University of South Carolina School of Law, offers a combined degree program which permits a student to obtain both the Juris Doctor and the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice degrees in approximately four years.