PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Please consult the academic calendar for the most up to date degree requirements. In the event that program requirements change in the future, the calendar in effect at the time of entry into the program governs.

This site, maintained by the School of Criminology, provides some explanation and elaboration of the academic calendar entry, but does not supercede the requirements in the academic calendar.

Pre-Requisite Courses

Students admitted to the program should have completed the following before admission in preparation for undertaking graduate coursework:

• One (1) intermediate Criminology theory course, e.g., CRIM 300W or equivalent.  
• Two (2) intermediate research methods courses (one quantitative and one qualitative), e.g., CRIM 320 and CRIM 321 or equivalent. 

Program Requirements

Completion of 30 units, including a minimum of 18 units of course work as specified below, an original MA thesis and an oral defence of the MA thesis.

The coursework requirement includes:

• CRIM 800 - Criminological Theory I (3)
• CRIM 860 - Research Methods I: Research Design (3)
• CRIM 861 - Research Methods II: Quantitative Methods (3)
• CRIM 862 - Research Methods III: Qualitative Methods (3)

                   AND

• A minimum of 6 units selected from additional graduate course offerings in the School of Criminology.
• The remaining units will be completed through the MA thesis course.

CRIM 898 - MA Thesis (18)

Thesis that is typically 50 to 100 pages in length, including bibliography and footnotes, and exclusive of appendices.

Course Sections

• G100: For students living in the lower mainland (UPass and full student fees).
• G200: For students living outside of the lower mainland or more than 2 hours commute (no UPass and reduced student fees).  This section requires department permission.  Contact the Graduate Programs Assistant (crimgrad@sfu.ca) with your program and student number to request enrollment.

As per Graduate Studies regulations, all graduate students are required to maintain continuous enrollment unless they have been granted a leave of absence from their program.

Program Length

• Students are expected to complete the program requirements in 6-9 terms (2-3 years).

Tuition and Fees

The MA program in Criminology is a "regular" research-based program. MA students in a regular research-based program pay tuition each term and must maintain student status/enroll in each term. Per-term tuition and required associated fees are detailed in the academic calendar. Note that both domestic and international graduate students pay the same per-term tuition. 

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 and is subject to the review procedure described in Graduate General Regulations.

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.