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Criminology
The School of Criminology offers a master of arts (MA) with research topics in criminology, criminal justice, forensics, and law.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must satisfy the university admission requirements as stated in Graduate General Regulations 1.3 in the SFU Calendar. Students admitted to the program normally will have completed one intermediate criminology theory course and two intermediate research methods courses (one quantitative and one qualitative) before admission to the master of arts (MA) program in preparation for undertaking graduate course work.
English Language Competence
English is the language of instruction and communication at the university. Accordingly, an applicant whose primary language is not English must demonstrate command of English sufficient to pursue graduate studies in the chosen field. Please refer to the Graduate General Regulations (1.3.3 English Language Competence) for minimum language requirements and further information.
Note that the minimum English language test scores required for this program are higher than the minimum test scores accepted for entry into Graduate Studies at SFU. For details, visit the School of Criminology website.
Program Requirements
This program consists of courses and a thesis for a minimum of 36 units.
Students must complete
Intensive exposure to the major streams of criminological theory, the role of theory, and how theory develops, evolves, and changes. Consideration will be given to the relationship between criminological theories, their testable hypotheses and empirical support, as well as the interplay of theory and practice. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a solid background in undergraduate criminological theory, equivalent to CRIM 300W.
Research design for criminological problems and foundational techniques for the conduct of research in criminology. The further development of fundamental research skills to be applied in research, including subsequent research methods courses and in the preparation of theses and dissertations. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a solid background in undergraduate research methods, equivalent to CRIM 220.
The coverage of a range of statistical techniques, including linear regression, logistic regression, and data reduction techniques such as cluster and factor analysis. The purposes, assumptions, and conduct of such analyses using a statistical software package for social sciences (e.g. SPSS, Stata, R) will be covered. Attention will be given to the decisions involved in data exploration and preparation for statistical modeling purposes. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a solid background in undergraduate quantitative research methods, equivalent to CRIM 320.
| Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| G100 |
Martin Andresen |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
A range of research techniques generally subsumed under the rubric of qualitative research including field research, interview techniques, historical and legal research, and documentary analysis. Emphasis will be on the logic underlying such inquiry, the advantages and limitations associated with different sources of information and procedures, and the processes by which analytical rigor is achieved. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have a solid background in undergraduate qualitative research methods, equivalent to CRIM 321.
| Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| G200 |
Ted Palys |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
and six units of graduate courses offered by the School of Criminology
and a thesis
Program Length
Students are expected to complete the program requirements in 6 terms (2 years).
Other Information
Thesis
The original MA thesis includes an oral defence and is typically 50 to 100 pages in length, including bibliography and footnotes, but exclusive of appendices.
Satisfactory Performance
The candidate's progress is assessed once per year by the school. A student who performs unsatisfactorily is not permitted to continue in the program, subject to the review procedure described in Graduate General Regulation 1.8.2.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the Graduate General Regulations, as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled.