Program Overview

admin-justice-airplaneThe purpose of the Doctor of Philosophy of Administration of Justice (PhD AJ) is to prepare individuals for (1) leadership and managerial positions in justice agencies; (2) faculty positions in higher education that require advanced knowledge of theory, administration, research, and data analysis; and (3) research positions in private and public research institutions specializing in the administration of justice issues, policy, and data analysis. The Doctor of Philosophy in Administration of Justice will educate future leaders needed to assume administrative and policy positions at all levels of government, and in the private sector in the State of Texas, nationally and globally.

Admission Criteria

aj-phdStudents desiring to pursue a doctoral degree in the administration of justice should be capable of advanced academic work in theory, research and data analysis. Students applying for admission to the doctoral program must meet the admission standards of the TSU Graduate School. Applicants must hold the bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 overall and 3.0 in the last sixty hours of undergraduate studies.

Applicants should have a master’s degree or its equivalent in a degree program from an accredited institution of higher education with a grade point average of at least 3.2 in previous graduate work. Each graduate student who is admitted must present Graduate Record Examination (GRE) verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing section scores. The analytical writing score must be 3.5 or above. If the student is accepted and does not meet the minimum requirement, he or she must enroll in English 501. International applicants whose first language is not English and who have not completed a degree in the United States are required to take and pass the TOEFL with an internet based score of 74, a computer-based score of 213, or paper- based score of 550.

An application for admission to the doctoral program is submitted at Apply Yourself Online and is processed through the TSU Graduate School. Completed applications are referred to the School of Public Affairs for an acceptance decision by the Graduate Admissions Committee in the PhD AJ program. Decisions of the Graduate Admissions Committee are referred to the Dean of the Graduate School and entered into the Apply Yourself system.

Successful applications who do not score 3.5 on the analytical writing portion of the GRE or GMAT will be required to demonstrate English proficiency by successfully completing the course English 501 Graduate Professional Writing. The Graduate Admissions Committee (GAC) comprised of graduate faculty will make decisions on admission. During the admission process the GAC will evaluate graduate transcripts of applicants with master’s degrees to determine whether or not additional courses are needed at the master’s degree level. No more than twelve (12) credits from previous doctoral work will be applied towards the Ph.D. program. Requirements include completion of a total of fifty-four (54) credit hours, passing comprehensive examinations, admission to doctoral candidacy, completion of a residency requirement, preparation and acceptance of a dissertation proposal, completion of the dissertation and an oral defense.

Students must also submit the following to the Graduate School:

  1. A complete application form and a non-refundable application fee of $50 for citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. and $75 for international applicants.
  2. A typed 400-500 word statement of academic and professional goals.
  3. A writing sample. Preferably a prior course paper
  4. A current vitae.
  5. Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to give an evaluation of the applicant’s past scholastic performance, research, ability for advanced work in administration of justice, and personal motivation.
  6. Two official transcripts of credits earned at each college and/or university attended by the applicant.
  7. Scores from the Graduate Record Examination.
  8. Evidence of proficiency in the use of the English language.

In addition to Items 1 through 8, International Students need to also supply the following information:

  1. Affidavit of Support
  2. Transcript Evaluation
  3. TOEFL = 79 or IELTS (iBT) = 6.0 (if not from an English speaking country)
For Further Information:

Julian L. Scott, III, Ph.D

Graduate Program Director
Assistant Professor

Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs
BLDG Suite 402J

Email: Julian.Scott@tsu.edu
Phone: (713) 313-6760