PhD Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University offers you an on-campus program of coursework and research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in criminology and criminal justice. This program trains you in criminal justice theory, research and policy, and is designed to prepare you to be highly skilled criminology and criminal justice faculty, or agency researchers or administrators.

What you will study

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation Required Core (12 credit hours) CRJ 601 Seminar on Criminological Theory (3) CRJ 602 Seminar on Criminal Justice Policies and Practices (3) CRJ 603 Advanced Research Design (3) CRJ 604 Regression Models (3) Professional Development Coursework (3 credit hours) CRJ 617 Professional Development in Criminology and Criminal Justice (3) Theory or Systems Elective Coursework (3 credit hours) CRJ 606 Advanced Topics in Theoretical Criminology (3) CRJ 607 Advanced Topics in Policing (3) CRJ 608 Advanced Topics in Courts and Sentencing (3) CRJ 609 Advanced Topics in Corrections (3) CRJ 610 Advanced Topics in Juvenile Justice (3) CRJ 611 Advanced Topics in Crime and Victimization (3) CRJ 612 Advanced Topics in Race, Gender, and the Criminal Justice System (3) Research Methods or Statistics Elective Coursework (3 credit hours) CRJ 510 Criminal Justice Planning and Program Evaluation (3) CRJ 531 Crime Mapping (3) CRJ 540 Qualitative Methods (3) CRJ 560 Topics in Research Methods (3) CRJ 605 Topics in Quantitative Methods (3) Electives (51 credit hours) Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) CRJ 799 Dissertation (12) Additional Curriculum Information Doctoral students may also ask the Director of the PhD Program to review (and approve) a statistics or research methods class offered at the graduate level by another in-person graduate program at ASU in the social sciences.

Career pathways

Graduates of the criminology and criminal justice doctorate program find a strong job market in the public and private sectors.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Applicants often hold a master's degree from an accredited institution; it may be in criminal justice, criminology or another field (e.g., sociology, political science, history, social work, public administration, psychology or philosophy). The program also allows for direct admission into the doctoral program for highly qualified students with only a bachelor's degree; these students earn their master's degree along the way to completing their doctoral degree. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee official transcripts two letters of recommendation current curriculum vitae or resume personal statement sample of the applicant's written work proof of English proficiency.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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