Masters in Criminology- Need advice

[deevyah]

Hi Everyone,

 

I find myself confused everyday more and more.

I have bachelors degree in economics, political science and journalism.

I have good grades and i am going to write Gre this year.

I am interested in Criminology as it actually tends to fascinate me, which is the why i want to change the field completely for my masters degree. Is it possible?

I want to get advice on getting into the best Criminology and Criminal Justice Schools in America and also what it takes to get in...?

I want to later work for international organizations or get into investigation. So, please do advice me on criminology scopes too. I researched a lot and it is making me confused more and more. Forensic to investigative crime to criminology to so many courses related to Criminology are there, which makes it difficult for me to choose again.

 

In addition to all of it, I also want to do phd after masters right away in the same field. So, do i need to know anything in particular related to computer programming? I want to know if some skills is required.

 

Also, I want to do an internship before i opt for masters in criminology. So, what kind of internship would add up to my cv, please do advice me?

 

Thank you!!!

 

Best regards,

Dee

[Sword_Saint]

1) Yes, it is possible to get a master's degree in a field other than what your bachelor's degree(s) is in.

2) The U.S. News Report lists school prestige based on acceptance and graduation rates (I believe), but I honestly think individuals are better off applying to schools based on research interest and funding opportunities.

 

Different schools have different requirements; minimally it would require taking the GRE, taking an English proficiency test (TOEFL), performing well as an undergraduate (3.0 + generally) and having a few letters of recommendation from previous faculty (2-3 letters normally). 

 

3) ...Why do you think it would require computer programming? 

 

In graduate school for Criminology / Criminal Justice individuals need to be proficient with statistics software such as: SPSS, Stata, R, etc, they do not generally need to be able to write code or design software. 

[Criminologist]

Criminology has little to nothing to do with investigating or solving crimes so it is not something you want to study if you want to be a criminal investigator. A lot of people unfamiliar with the field have this misconception - they think criminology is about how to solve crimes. If you want that type of career it would be much better to get experience as a police officer and work your way up. Getting a masters in criminology and then a PhD to become an investigator is a gross waste of time and will not make you any more qualified or give you an advantage in the hiring process unless you already have work experience in law enforcement. People get PhDs to work in academia as professors or in upper level research positions in government agencies or think tanks. I suggest taking a criminology theory class or research methods and seeing if it interests you before deciding to pursue a masters or PhD.

[Paul Takakjian]

Well thats a good choice if you pursue this course.I think very few students go for this sort of courses as they include a large syllabus and a lot of hard work to do.I think you might become a good criminolist and help hunting criminlas.Or you could go to help any criminal lawyer who is sorying any case.

[david pire]

This must be the good idea to having such courses. Don't indulge yourself in this , just make your mind and go for one thing you want to professional in it.My friend also have the same problem but in last he chooses the law and now he is defense lawyer in Texas.So recommending you to join that course in which have interest.