Tarleton State University received approval Jan. 24 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for its first Ph.D. program.
The doctor of philosophy in criminal justice begins this fall, pending a green light from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the university said in a news release.
To be offered weekends at Tarleton’s Fort Worth campus, the Ph.D. entails 66 credit hours and offers specializations in predictive and analytical policing.
Tarleton, based in Stephenville, was a founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online.
The Ph.D. will increase Tarleton’s degree offerings to 100. One of those is a doctorate in educational leadership (Ed.D.).
The new doctorate will combine criminology, criminal justice and strategic studies in a single, degree offered by Tarleton’s School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies within its College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
“This is a major step forward,” Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio said in a news release. “The university’s first Ph.D. program supports Tarleton’s long-standing commitment to academic advancement and improves employment opportunities for students, helping us meet critical community and workforce needs in North Texas and beyond.”
Dr. Eric Morrow, interim dean of Tarleton’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts, said timing for the Ph.D. is perfect.
“Our first Ph.D. program is in response to the growing need for criminal justice research and additional education and training for criminal justice practitioners, such as police officers, probation and parole officers, corrections officers and Child Protective Services investigators,” he said. “Because of this need and the remarkable leadership and vision of an exceptional faculty, our School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies has experienced remarkable growth in recent years.”
Tarleton Provost Karen Murray said in the release that in addition to providing students with exemplary training, the new doctoral degree will better position the university to define the national character of criminal justice.
For more information on Tarleton’s School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies, visit www.tarleton.edu/criminology/
To learn more about the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, go to www.tarleton.edu/colfa/
– FWBP Staff