Frequently Answered Questions
There is a Department Hold. How do I register for classes?
Answer: Have an idea of what you want to take in advance. Make an advising appointment with the Graduate Director via email at: egbertz@utep.edu or ask for a phone advising appointment. Once you have been advised, the graduate director will lift the department holds for you to register.
What is a typical courseload for graduate students??
Answer: For students who work full-time, a part-time student is recommend to take 1-2 classes each Fall and Spring semester, and take 1 course in the Summer. For students who work part-time and wish to go to school full-time, we recommend taking 3-4 classes (9-12 credit hours) each Fall and Spring semester, and take 2 courses (6 credit hours) in the Summer.
What days of the week and times are courses offered?
Answer: All graduate courses are offered face-to-face between 4:30-9:00 pm Monday through Friday.
During the 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, we schedule at least 4 courses once a week: Monday 6:00-9:00 pm; Tuesday 6:00-9:00 pm; Wednesday 6:00-9:00 pm, and Thursday 6:00-9:00pm. If we add a 5th or 6th class, classes are scheduled: Friday 6:00-9:00 pm or twice a week: M,W 4:30-5:50pm or T, Th 4:30-5:50 pm
In the Summers, courses are only 8-weeks long, so they meet twice as often in the evenings, M, W from 6:00-9:00 pm or T, Th from 6:00-9:00 pm
How many courses are offered each semester?
Answer: We typically offer 2-3 required and 2 elective courses during each 15-week Fall and Spring semester. We offer only 1-2 elective courses and no required courses in the summer.
Each required course is offered only ONCE per academic year, so if you do not enroll in the semster in which it is offered, youmust wait one calendar year for it to come around again. Elective courses are offered once every other year on a rotating basis.
What does a "cross-listed" class mean?
Answer: A cross-listed class serves more than one graduate program. A small number of CRIJ courses are also available for graduate students in Intelligence and National Security Studies and/or Public Administration.
Examples of these courses are:
CRIJ/INSS 5335 Transnational Criminal Organizations
CRIJ/INSS 5343 Crime and Border Security
CRIJ/INSS 5361 Applied Statistics in INSS
CRIJ/INSS 5390 Capstone
Can I take a graduate course offered by another department?
Graduate classes offered by another department that are listed on the Dept of CJ website as Approved Electives for the MS-CCJ degree may be taken (they will appear on the elective list of either the Professional Track or Thesis track with a different 3 or 4 letter designation). If you have any problems with enrollment in those courses, please contact the CCJ Graduate Diector who will contact the Grad Director or Chair of the other program for the enrollment permission.
If you are interested in taking another graduate course offered by another department that is NOT on the approved elective list, you must make a case to the CCJ Graduate Director as to how this benefits your program of study. You must also obtain the course instructor's approval. The CCJ Graduate Director must also submit a "course substitution form" to the Graduate School so that this course counts toward your degree.
The spring semester application deadline is November 15th . For fall semester admission, there are two deadlines: May 1st for early admission and July 15th for regular admission.