Admissions
This page is provided for informational purposes only. In all cases, the University Catalog is the binding document for all admissions policies.
The admissions process to any UTC graduate program occurs in two phases. In the first phase, the Graduate Division makes an initial assessment of an applicant's undergraduate GPA. If it is 2.7 or better, the applicant is "Provisionally Admitted," even if the application is not complete. In this status, applicants are permitted to take up to 9 credit hours of graduate course work that, if approved by the program coordinator, may be applied to the student's graduation requirements if that applicant is subsequently admitted to the program.
The second phase of the process is admission to the Criminal Justice degree program. The program is selective, and not all provisional students are admitted to the Criminal Justice degree program. Only students with sufficiently high undergraduate grade point averages and GRE scores, effective supplemental applications forms, and excellent letters of recommendation are accepted into the degree program.
Admission to the Graduate School
An applicant for admission to the Graduate School must:
Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
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Have a minimum grade point average of 2.7 (based on a 4.0 scale) on all undergraduate work taken prior to receiving the baccalaureate degree or 3.0 in the senior year.
Students who do not meet this admission requirement should contact the staff of the Graduate School office to discuss alternative requirements. International students should refer to the “Admission Procedures” of the Graduate Catalog for further information.
To ensure adequate consideration, the applicant should submit the completed application and supporting credentials to the Graduate School office at least one month prior to the beginning of the semester or summer term for which admission is desired. Those filing applications after the established submission dates cannot be assured their credentials will be processed in sufficient time to secure admission for that term. Financial aid may also be delayed.
Anyone wishing to be admitted to the Criminal Justice Program must furnish the following materials to the Graduate School.
- A completed application form available online.
- Payment of the $30 non refundable application fee ($35 for international students).
- An official transcript from each college or university previously attended. These transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to the Graduate School office.
- An official report of the applicant’s score on the prescribed test for admission.
Admission to the Criminal Justice Program
To be admitted to the Criminal Justice Graduate program applicants must:
- Submit a Supplemental Admissions form
- Submit two letters of recommendation and the confidentiality form. Letters may come from faculty members in the applicant’s undergraduate major or from the most recent work supervisor, if the applicant graduated from college four or more years ago.
- Provide an official score from either the Miller Analogy Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) that is not over five years old. Applicants who took the MAT may also be required to submit a “Writing Proficiency Essay.
Conditional Admission
An applicant who seeks a degree but does not have the necessary grade point average may be classified as a conditional student. In this classification, a student takes six or nine graduate hours as specified by the Graduate Program Coordinator. Within two semesters of initial enrollment, the applicant must earn a grade of B or better in each graduate course and a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on all graduate courses taken during this time, or the applicant will be dismissed. At the completion of the conditional work, the Program Coordinator and Director of the Graduate School will review the student’s application materials and make a final admissions decision. If the student is accepted as a degree-seeking student, courses taken during conditional admission may be accepted into the degree program.
Conditional admission is a one-time opportunity extended to students who are United States citizens or permanent residents to prove that, despite a low grade point average in undergraduate studies, they can now perform satisfactorily in graduate classes. Enrollment in graduate courses under a conditional admission status does not, however, imply admission into a degree program. It should also be understood that fully admitted graduate students will be given priority in enrollment. Students classified with conditional admissions are not eligible for financial aid.
