Scholarships

The School of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers a variety of scholarships for bachelor's and master's degree students.

The School of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers a variety of scholarships for bachelor's and master's degree students. Eligibility to apply for Criminal Justice Scholarships is determined through the Bobcat Online Scholarship System (BOSS). 

Login to BOSS and search for “School of Criminal Justice and Criminology Scholarship Application.” If the application is listed in your Opportunities, you are eligible to apply. Students who submit a complete application will be considered for all Criminal Justice Scholarships for which they are eligible.

The BOSS application requires applicants to submit:

  • a letter of intent stating career and educational goals and financial need;
  • a resume;
  • an unofficial transcript;
  • three letters of recommendation, with at least two of the three letters must be from professors or teachers.

Criminal Justice Scholarships are awarded for the Fall and Spring Term for each academic year. All awards will be deducted from the recipient’s tuition bill for the appropriate term. All recipients will be automatically reviewed at the end of the Fall Term to determine continued eligibility for the Spring Term. All recipients are expected to write a letter of appreciation at the beginning of the Fall Term.

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  • Marshall Littleton attended Southwest Texas State University but chose to pursue his dream of becoming a Police Officer when he was accepted into the Austin Police Academy and was commissioned on October of 1978. During his ten-year tenure he rose through the ranks from Patrolman to Senior Patrolman, Accident Investigator, Field Training Officer and finally joined the ranks of the elite APD SWAT Team and Bomb Squad. During this time, he decided to resume the pursuit of his educational goals and completed his degree in Criminal Justice in 1988. With his education and experience he moved on to become a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and specialized in Explosives and Arson Investigation. He became a Certified Fire Investigator and was named to the National and International Response Teams. As a member of these teams he played an integral part of many high-profile cases such as the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Pentagon post-9/11.  He retired on December 29, 2012 after more than 34 years in law enforcement and passed away on January 3, 2013.

    SOURCE: Friends and Family of Marshall Littleton

     

  • Rudy Mesa was a 1999 graduate of Texas State University , a veteran of the United States Army, and a retired member of the San Marcos Police Department. After retiring he served as an advisor to train Iraqi police officers. On May 8, 2006 he was killed by an improvised explosive device near Rustamiyah, Iraq.  

    SOURCE: Friends and family of Rudy Mesa and the San Marcos Police Department

     

  • Steve Willis was an ATF agent who was killed in the line of duty in 1993 during the Branch Davidian Incident.  He was a 1987 graduate of Southwest Texas State University in Criminal Justice.

    SOURCE:  The Steve Willis Family and the Texas Wheels Sports Car Club of America

  • David Flores was a career police officer for the San Antonio Police Department.  While working as an officer he obtained his undergraduate and Master’s degrees.  Upon retirement he taught Criminal Justice for several years at Southwest Texas State University.

    SOURCE: Friends and family of David Flores 

  • Keith Ruiz graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1987 with a major in Criminal Justice.  He was a member of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team when he was killed in the line of duty in 2001 while serving a search and arrest warrant.

    SOURCE:  Friends and Family of Keith Ruiz and Travis County Sheriff’s Officers Association

  • Patrick Metzler graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1993 with a major in Criminal Justice.  He was a member of the Dallas Police Department when he was killed in the line of duty in 2004 while directing traffic around a highway construction site.

    SOURCE: The Metzler Family and the Dallas Police Officers Association

  • Kevin Shimek was a Criminal Justice major at Texas State University who was killed in an automobile accident prior to graduation. 

    SOURCE: The Shimek Family and the Texas State University Water Ski Club

  • After Mr. Paul Blaney retired from the Chicago Police Department as a Lieutenant, he became a member of the Criminal Justice faculty at Southwest Texas State University.  He and his wife left part of their estate to Texas State University to be used for scholarships to needy students.

    SOURCE:  The Paul and Lois Blaney Estate

  • Kurt Knapp graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1999 with a major in Criminal Justice.  He was a member of the Texas Department of Public Safety when he was killed in the line of duty in 2001 while serving on DWI task force in Gillespie County.

    SOURCE:  The friends and family of Kurt Knapp and the annual Kurt Knapp Memorial Golf Outing held in Kerrville, TX

  • Donald B. Harrelson was a member of the Criminal Justice faculty at Southwest Texas State University from 1971 to 1987. During his tenure he served as Department Chair and Associate Dean of the School of Applied Arts and Technology. In 1983, he was honored by the Texas Association of Law Enforcement Educators as the recipient of the prestigious Wallace D. Beasley Award for outstanding achievement and excellence in law enforcement training and education. He is co-author of The Texas Peace Officer.

    SOURCE: Donald B. Harrelson Endowment Fund

  • The late Yari Mokri graduated with a BSCJ in May of 2005 with aspirations of doing intelligence analysis in law enforcement. He joined the United States Army to gain experience in the field. On December 6, 2006 he was killed when an IED exploded near his vehicle when while on patrol in Hawijah, Iraq.

    SOURCE: Friends and family of Yari Mokri

  • The late Stephan C. Geigel was Director of Security for the Austin area facilities of Motorola Corporation. He was an excellent student whose practical knowledge crossed a wide range of substantive areas in the criminal justice system. Mr. Geigel was regarded as a mentor and as a role model by fellow students who lacked his experience in the field. He was named the Outstanding Graduate Student in 1993.

    SOURCE: The Austin MetroTech Foundation, the Austin Community Foundation, and friends and family of Stephan C. Geigel.

  • Bill Pruitt grew up in Galveston County and graduated from Dickinson High School. He graduated from then Southwest Texas State College (Texas State University) in 1964 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He retired as Chief of the Criminal Law Enforcement Division for the Texas Department of Public Safety after working there for nearly 30 years. Emily Pruitt grew up in north Alabama and attended The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She worked for the Texas Department of Public Safety for 24 years. She retired as a Sergeant on the Governor’s Protective Detail after serving during the terms of four Texas governors. 

    SOURCE: A generous endowment created by William M. and Emily W. Pruitt.