Southern Illinois University-Carbondale · School of Justice and Public Safety

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeOn campus

Overview

An on-campus research PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice with three core seminars, four research tools courses, five guided electives, a preliminary exam, qualifying paper and dissertation.

Official program name: Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy · major: Criminology and Criminal Justice
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — research doctorate
Subject focus: Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science or a closely related justice subject.
Source: gradcatalog.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
School: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale — School of Justice and Public Safety
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Location: Carbondale, IL
Subjects: Criminal Justice — core of the degree (“Criminology and Criminal Justice”)Criminology — core of the degree (“Criminology and Criminal Justice”)
Required credits: Not verified
Duration: Not verified

Why this program is listed

Dedicated on-campus research PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Degree title names criminology and criminal justice; the catalog calls the Ph.D. a research degree.

Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

We list associate, bachelor's, master's and research-doctorate programs in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science and related subjects at institutionally accredited US schools — degrees in the subject and formal concentrations, never certificates or one-elective degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.

Formats offered: On campus
Source: siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

Curriculum

Doctoral requirements include 11 seminars, 24 hours of dissertation credits, a preliminary exam and qualifying paper, and the dissertation.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Careers and licensure

An academic degree and an occupational licence are different things.

Career and licensure statements for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

A degree does not guarantee police academy admission, sworn officer certification, federal employment, a security clearance, a position with a named agency, a forensic laboratory job or eligibility to practice as a psychologist. Those have separate training, scientific prerequisites, examinations or hiring requirements set by the agency, state or licensing board. Academic degrees vs police academy training

Research and doctoral requirements

Research areas, supervision, examinations and residency as the school publishes them.

Research areas

Listed areas of interest: corrections, crime prevention, juvenile justice, law and society, policing, policy analysis and evaluation, spatial analysis of crime.
Source: siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Choosing a supervisor

Initial advisement by the graduate program director; students then request a graduate faculty member as academic adviser.
Source: gradcatalog.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Research proposal

The dissertation process starts with a proposal presented to and approved by the student's committee.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Qualifying examinations

Students must pass a preliminary exam and complete a qualifying paper before advancing to candidacy.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Dissertation

Dissertation under a five-member faculty committee, with a final oral defense.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Residency

Graduate School requires a minimum of 24 credit hours in residency at SIUC after admission and before candidacy.
Source: gradcatalog.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredMaster's degree in CCJ, or in another field with at least 15 graduate credit hours in a related social science.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Minimum GPA: RecommendedMinimum 3.25 — Preferred minimum GPA of 3.25 for all prior graduate coursework.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Contact information for three references.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Writing sample: RequiredWriting sample such as a course paper or publication.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Application fee: Required$65 — $65 application fee.
Source: gradcatalog.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Scholarship deadline
December 1 each year · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Year not printed
Funding / assistantship consideration
January 15 prior to the fall of anticipated enrollment · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: academics.siu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Tuition for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Graduate funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation

Two different things: the school's institutional accreditation, and FEPAC accreditation of this exact forensic science program.

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

FEPAC program accreditation

This program does not appear in FEPAC's accredited-program list. FEPAC accredits forensic science programs only and is optional; its absence is not a sign that a program is illegitimate, and the school's other programs or institutional accreditation do not imply it.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 24, 2026.

academics.siu.edu/public-policy/criminology-criminal-justice/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
academics.siu.edu/public-policy/criminology-criminal-justice/doctoral/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
gradcatalog.siu.edu/programs/ccj/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 24, 2026
DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
siu.edu/admissions/graduate/academics/ — Official admissions page, verified October 24, 2026

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Criminal Justice Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.