PhD in Public Policy and Administration — Criminal justice policy Concentration

Research doctoratePhDConcentrationOn campus

Overview

Research doctorate in public policy and administration with a criminal justice policy concentration; applicants hold a master's degree or professional degree.

Official program name: Public Policy and Administration, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) with a concentration in criminal justice policy
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration · major: Public Policy and Administration
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — research doctorate
Subject focus: Concentration inside a broader degree — Criminal justice policyA formal concentration, track or specialization inside a broader degree such as psychology, sociology or chemistry. The awarded degree is the broader one.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Location: Richmond, VA
Subjects: Criminal Justice — formal concentration / track (“Criminal justice policy”)
Required credits: Not verified
Duration: Not verified

Why this program is listed

Formal criminal justice policy concentration inside a research Ph.D. in public policy and administration.

Source: bulletin.vcu.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: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

Curriculum

Curriculum details: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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 proposal

Outcomes include formulating research questions and a research design for a research proposal.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Dissertation

Outcomes include completing and defending an original research project.
Source: bulletin.vcu.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 or a recognized post-baccalaureate professional degree such as law or medicine.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement describing reasons for applying.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of reference.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredCurrent professional resume.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: OptionalGRE, GMAT, MAT or LSAT scores are optional.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

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.

Application deadline
Dec 15 for assistantships (Jan 30 final date for admission consideration) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: bulletin.vcu.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

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — 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.

bulletin.vcu.edu/graduate/school-government-public-affairs/public-policy-administration-phd-concentr — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 24, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026

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