Criminal Justice Doctorate - A Study of Doctoral Programs in the United States

• NCJ Number: 73845
• Author(s): G T Felkenes
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 44 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79CD-AX-0001
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Joint Cmssn on Criminology and Criminal Justice Education and Standards
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report develops a profile of doctoral graduates from institutions that have traditionally offered doctoral programs in the field of criminal justice. It also surveys these graduates to examine their attitudes, frustrations, and employment patterns.

Abstract

The following six institutions were included in the study: University of California-Berkeley, Sam Houston State University (Texas), State University of New York-Albany, Michigan State University, Florida State University, and the University of Maryland. Questionnaires were mailed to all doctoral graduates identified from these universities. A total of 95 completed, usable questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 54.3 percent. The sample included respondents who had received a doctorate as early as 1963 and, with the exception of 1964, it included respondents in each year thereafter through 1978. Respondents' ages ranged from 27 years to 62 years, with a mean age of 38.4 years. Most respondents were concentrated in the Pacific region, the Midwest, and the South. Questions related to type of employment, working conditions, work proficiencies (self-perceptions), factors affecting job satisfaction, and work hinderances. Findings indicate that most graduates (70.5 percent) were employed in the field of education, while the remainder were employed by law enforcement, court, or correctional agencies. The average income for respondents was $19,001 to $21,000, and most graduates became aware of their present employment positions through personal contacts in the field. In addition, it was found that the opportunity to engage in research was a major factor in job satisfaction, with graduates indicating lack of monetary support and excessive administrative duties as hindrances to their work. The top three ranking factors which motivated graduates to obtain a doctorate in criminal justice were interest in the subject, teaching and research in the university, and job advancement. Numerous tables are provided.