Niagara University is located in the Town of Lewiston, New York. It
stands atop the picturesque Niagara River Gorge five miles from the
world famous Niagara Falls and overlooks the Province of Ontario,
Canada. The Queenston – Lewiston Bridge is only one mile from Niagara
University. Niagara University is located outside of the Buffalo/Lake
Erie snowbelt and receives substantially less snow than the metroplex
in the winter.
The Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration
consists of an 11-course sequence totaling 33 semester hours. All
courses earn three credits. All classes are offered at 4 p.m. or later
and convenient class scheduling permits students to take two courses on
some class evenings. Six of the 11 courses are core requirements; the
remainder are electives.
The master’s degree program is designed for completion in one calendar
year for full-time students and two calendar years for part-time
students.
Niagara University offers three entry points into the program: Fall (August), Spring (January), and Summer (May).
Niagara University has a rolling admissions policy. Applications are
considered as they are received and evaluated in a holistic fashion in
keeping with the mission of the university. The earlier you apply, the
sooner your application will be considered.
During the fall and spring, course work is generally kept to three days a week.
Yes, you will work with Dr. Harmon, the Criminal Justice Graduate Advisor, to determine your schedule.
The most current information is listed on Student Account's
Fee Structure site. Additional fees such as parking and registration are also listed on the same site.
Yes,
a Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited college or university is
required for admission. The degree conferred needs to be posted on the
official transcript.
Individuals who are still undergraduates and currently “in progress”
with a graduation date planned before the start of Niagara University’s
program need to indicate this on the application. Also, an official
letter from the college/university will be needed to verify your
planned graduation date. Please submit the “in progress” transcript
along with a copy of any registrations for classes currently enrolled
in if they do not appear on your transcript. A second transcript will
be required once the degree is conferred and posted.
- The application, accompanied by a $30 fee (U.S. funds), payable to
Niagara University. An electronic version of the application is
available at http://www.niagara.edu/crj-masters-apply-online/. If you apply via the Internet, the application fee is waived.
- Official transcripts of all previous college and university work, to be
sent directly from the registrar of each institution.
- Two letters of recommendation to be sent directly to Dr. Talia Harmon,
Director of the Criminal Justice Department at Niagara University
by persons who know the applicant’s qualifications and can assess
the applicant’s ability to perform graduate work.
- A personal statement of no more than 500 words that explains why you
wish to pursue the master’s degree program. Scores on the G.R.E.
aptitude test to be sent directly to Niagara University from the
Educational Testing Service (which administers the exam). Niagara
University alumni who received a B.A. or B.S. from the College of Arts
and Sciences in the previous five years may waive the G.R.E.
requirement if their overall undergraduate QPA was 3.0 or better.
Also, G.R.E. scores may be waived by the department depending upon
professional experience and undergraduate performance. For further
details, please contact Dr. Harmon. Please note that an I-20 cannot
legally be issued unless a student is matriculated, therefore, all
Canadians are required to take the G.R.E.
- For students whose native language is not English, scores on the TOEFL must be sent directly by the testing service.
It is highly recommended that you submit the application and all application materials in one packet to:
Dr. Talia Harmon, Director
Criminal Justice Department
Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences
Niagara University, NY 14109
For the G.R.E. general test you may call 1-800-GRECALL for locations or check the website out at
www.gre.org. The
Counseling Center at Niagara University offers GRE Exams.
US college credit hour courses are semester based and are worth 3
college/university credit hours/units and usually equal .5 credit at
Canadian institutions (though some Canadian institutions are on the
hour system). Many Canadian courses are full year, which would equate
to 6 credit hours. Six full courses (or 12 half credits) would equate
to 36 college/university credit hours in the US.
A Bachelor’s degree is required for the program.
All students who are not American citizens require a student VISA. The
VISA is used to cross the border on a daily basis for classes.
The process for obtaining a VISA is fairly simple and very
straightforward. Niagara University has been issuing student VISAs for
decades and our staff is highly responsive to student needs.
Elizabeth Broomfield, Assistant Director of Records
Records Office, Lower Level Gallagher, Niagara University, NY 14109
Phone 716-286-8726
Fax 716-286-8733
Email eab@niagara.edu
Niagara University will send you an application for a student VISA,
which will take you about 5 minutes to fill out. In addition to
providing your personal information (e.g. citizenship, date of birth),
you will also provide a letter from a financial institution documenting
your ability to pay your tuition. You will then fax or mail the
application back to Niagara University, and then we will prepare your
VISA. NU sends the VISA back to you in the mail so that you can
present it at the border.
Contrary
to public speculation, crossing the border is quite quick and
convenient. The delays that are announced in the media typically
pertain only to “commercial”
traffic – large trucks. Cars typically go around the line of trucks and straight to the booths on the border.
Niagara University Switchboard 1-800-462-2111
Niagara University Criminal Justice Department 716-286-2080
Website: www.niagara.edu/graduate
