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Master of Arts in Criminal Investigation Policies

These policies also apply to the MA/MBA Dual Degree program.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission into the MACI Program, the student must submit the following:

  1. Application and essay
  2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework.
  3. A current resume.

In order to be admitted to the program, the student must have:

  1. Graduated from an accredited four-year college or university with a GPA 3.00 or higher
  2. A successful Committee interview – Students seeking admission into the MACI Program may be admitted on a regular or conditional basis. The MACI admissions committee will review the student’s educational background and work experience to determine the student’s admission status based on the following criteria:
    1. Completion of a baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution of higher education.
    2. Quality of the student’s academic record and educational background.
    3. Undergraduate or graduate courses relevant to Criminal Investigation.
    4. The nature and extent of the student’s work experience.
    5. Involvement in communication activities.

Regularly admitted students are students who the admissions committee determines have the preparation to successfully complete the program.

Some applicants whose GPA is less than 3.00 may be admitted to the program conditionally and permitted to enroll in a maximum of four courses (12 credits). Upon completion of the four courses and fulfillment of any specified conditions, the student’s record and admission criteria will be reviewed to determine the student’s potential for successfully completing the program. If the evaluation of all relevant admission criteria is positive, the student must apply for admission to candidacy. After approval, the student will be permitted to complete the MACI Program.

International Student Admission Requirements

  • Application, essay, current resume, two letters of reference
  • Transcripts translated into English by WES, World Education Services, of all academic educational work.
  • TOEFL score for non-English speaking country – minimum score requirement is 80.
  • Statement of financial support from certified financial institution. Statement must show adequate funds to pay tuition, fees, books, supplies, travel expenses and living expenses.
  • Copy of passport and visa
  • Admissions interview 

Graduate Non-degree Students

In certain circumstances, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Programs in Criminal Investigation, students may be permitted to enroll in a maximum of two courses (6 credits) without completing the regular application process.

Financial Aid

Financial aid information may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. Student loans are available to students taking a minimum of six semester hours. For the purposes of the MACI Program, a full-time student is considered to be anyone enrolled in a minimum of nine semester hours.

Degree Requirements

  1. 30 semester hours of criminal investigation. All students must take 18-30 semester hours from Criminal Justice 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 525, 526, 527, 536, 537, and 538, as well as the option to take 0-12 semester hours from Business/Criminal Justice 529, 566, 567, and 575.
  2. Candidates must complete 24 semester hours at Waynesburg University.
  3. Students must achieve a 3.00 GPA in order to graduate from the program. The receipt of a letter grade of C or lower will automatically be reviewed by the Director of Graduate Programs in Criminal Investigation.
  4. All students must begin the MACI Program within one year of notification of admission. Anyone who does not meet this deadline will be removed from the files and will have to reapply to proceed.
  5. Requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Criminal Investigation must be completed within seven (7) years from the registration of the first MACI class.
  6. Deactivation will occur if no registration activity is recorded two years after the last semester of enrollment. Anyone removed for this reason must reapply to continue in the program.

Grading

The grading scale for the MACI Program will be available in the Program Guide.

Courses Repeated

A student may take any course for credit if he or she has met the prerequisites for the course and has not already taken the course and received a grade of B or better. When a course is repeated, both the first grade received and the grade earned in the repeated course remain a part of the permanent record; however, only the highest grade is used in computing the academic quotient. Additional credit is not given in cases where the original grade of the course repeated was C. A student who wishes to repeat a course must have the written permission of the Director of Graduate Programs in Criminal Investigation.

Incompletes

All MACI courses will follow the current Waynesburg University Catalog, which states:

The mark “I” is given if the work of the course is satisfactory but not completed, and may be removed by completing the unfinished work. Under no consideration, however, is the mark, “I”, given to a student whose work has been below the passing grade C. Such student is given the grade F. Incompletes are not given except in the case of extenuating circumstances (such as serious illness or death in the family). The student is responsible for filing a Request for Incomplete Grade form available through the Registrar's Office. Incompletes must be made up in the first eight weeks of the term following the one in which the work reported incomplete is taken. An incomplete not so made up will be changed to F.

Academic Progression

All graduate students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher to be eligible to receive a Master’s Degree from Waynesburg University.

To remain in good standing and progress through the curriculum:

  • All courses during the graduate curriculum must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
  • A student may receive no more than one grade of C or lower during the curriculum.
  • A student may repeat a course only once.
  • The student’s cumulative GPA must be at least 3.00.

If the student receives a grade of C or lower, a letter of warning will be sent to remind the student of the academic progression policy and standards. Students’ academic performance will be reviewed at the end of each session.

If the student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.00, the student will be placed on warning, and must raise the GPA to 3.00 or higher by the completion of the next 6 credits.

A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if any of the following occur:

  • The student receives more than one grade of C or lower.
  • The student is unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher after completing the next 6 credits following a warning.
  • The student is unable to successfully complete a course with a grade of B or higher after repeating the course one time.

Notification of Academic Status

Waynesburg University makes every effort to notify students of their academic status. A certified letter is mailed to each graduate student placed on suspension. Since communication by mail may be delayed or misdirected, it is the responsibility of every student to obtain this information. Non-receipt of a letter by a suspended student will not be considered grounds for claiming eligibility to enroll for a subsequent semester.

Additional Note

All other policies and procedures outlined by the current Waynesburg University Academic Catalog will be adhered to by the MACI program. For Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) – see Graduate and Professional Studies pages in Academic Catalog and the Student Program Guide.