Masters Degrees in Criminal Justice Management, USA

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a thriving center of intellectual excellence that encompasses 14 academic departments and 80 degree programs. Its more than 2,500 students are engaged in a wide variety of challenging courses and hands-on learning experiences that extend across all areas of the humanities and sciences – from the great philosophers and classic literature to the world economy and environmental sustainability.

At the core of each department are faculty members who have garnered national acclaim for their best-selling books, ground-breaking research and creative endeavors. Together, students and their professors explore globally significant subjects and work towards the goal of improving every aspect of the way in which human beings live. To learn more about a specific area of study, click on the left-hand navigation bar for a full listing of academic departments.

The department

In the Department of Criminal Justice, undergraduate and graduate programs are designed to meet the constant demand for law enforcement and criminal justice professionals. Our programs also provide an excellent pathway toward the study of law.

Our core curriculum thoroughly explores the theory and practice of the criminal justice system. But you will customize your study through elective courses that focus on a particular area of interest. Our full-time faculty is an internationally renowned group of academic professionals, and our adjunct professors are working criminal justice professionals, including attorneys, judges and law enforcement officials.

The LIU Post Department of Criminal Justice was one of the first on the East Coast to establish an internship program. All criminal justice majors intern in the field, and have access to an extraordinary network of criminal justice professionals, making it possible to be offered positions upon graduation.

Criminal Justice students may have the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., participating in the Justice Semester at American University, or studying Forensic Psychology at George Washington University.

M.S. in Criminal Justice

The 36-credit Master of Science in Criminal Justice offers an in-depth, 21st century curriculum geared toward forensics, law and society, criminal behavior, cyber crime, terrorism and criminological theory. In addition to our core curriculum, electives are available but not limited to areas such as terrorism, law, high technology, forensics, security, and fraud. The program prepares students for modern-day careers in criminal justice, including cyberspace crime detection, law enforcement management systems and homeland security.

Courses are taught by a distinguished faculty that includes published authors, researchers and widely-consulted authorities on the American and world criminal justice systems. Adjunct faculty members are working professionals in the field and include attorneys, judges and law enforcements officials. Our professors will engage and inspire you to exceed your expectations.

Alumni of our program are employed in a wide variety of professional positions: law enforcement officers, federal agents, security officers, prosecutors, corrections counselors, judges, attorneys, private security professionals, homeland security agents, forensic technologists, crime lab technicians, emergency managers, FBI agents and social service representatives.

Forensic Psychology Semester: George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

The Department of Criminal Justice is proud to announce an articulation agreement with George Washington University concerning Forensic Psychology. Eligible criminal justice graduate students may take forensic psychology courses in Washington, D.C. for a semester. Completed credits will be applied towards the student’s plan of study. To find out more about the George Washington University Program contact the Department of Criminal Justice.

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The Master of Science in criminal justice offers a multidisciplinary curriculum to give students the sophisticated working knowledge of the major systems within the field.  Students will take challenging and rigorous courses rooted in history, law, philosophy, research, psychology, management, and political science that involve critical analysis of complex issues.

Faculty provide a quality education to students who have demonstrated competence and commitment to learning and growth, who desire to make a meaningful contribution to the field of criminal justice and who share the values of idealism, honesty, integrity, justice, and fairness.

Internet scheduling and evening courses make full- or part-time graduate study at WCU convenient for anyone interested in pursuing this degree.  The program is well-suited for current or future criminal justice professionals, as well as those who plan to pursue further graduate study.

Course Content

The Department of Criminal Justice offers a strong core of required courses, enhanced by an eclectic selection of electives designed to meet the interests and needs of our students. Each course is taught by a qualified faculty member who has direct experience in the particular subject matter.

Criminal Justice is very interdisciplinary in nature. Students interested in Criminal Justice may be interested in careers such as law enforcement and investigation, criminal prosecution or defense, probation and parole, juvenile treatment, corrections victims' advocacy, crime mapping, research, and more.  The program is designed to offer flexibility so that the student can tailor course selection to professional career goals. In this regard, students work closely with advisors to select courses each semester.

Course material is constantly updated to incorporate the ever-changing base of knowledge in this quickly evolving field. We offer such diverse electives as:  Victimology, crime Mapping, White Collar Crime, Terrorism, Environmental Crime, Organized Crime, Criminal Investigations, Interviewing and Assessing the Offender, Animal Cruelty,Evidence and Advocacy, Contemporary Legal Issues, and Justice Studies. 

Curriculum

• Required modules (15 semester hours)
CRJ 505, 507, 508, 509, and 600

• Optional Thesis* (3 semester hours)

• Electives (12-15 semester hours)
Chosen from among the following: CRJ 500, 503, 504, 506, 522, 524, 526, 530, 535, 555, 560, 566, 570, 582, 590, 599, *610 with departmental approval, and 999 (All courses listed are three semester hours unless otherwise noted.)

Please see the website for more information about these modules:

http://catalog.wcupa.edu/graduate/business-public-management/criminal-justice/#coursestext

Philadelphia Campus

The M.S. in Criminal Justice is also offered at the Philadelphia campus.

Curriculums for programs offered at the alternative PASSHE Center City satellite campus in Philadelphia are equivalent to those found on WCU’s main campus. With state-of-the-art classrooms, the Center City location serves the needs of degree completers and/or adult learners who are balancing work and family obligations.

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MTSU offers a Master of Criminal Justice (M.C.J.) degree in cooperation with Tennessee State University. A graduate degree can help pave the way for advancement in professional opportunities in law enforcement, homeland security, courts, police administration, correctional management, probation, parole, juvenile justice, drug rehabilitation, and private security or investigations. Master's candidates are not required to take classes at both campuses, but an individual can earn up to 18 hours at the partner institution to transfer to the home institution. Students officially accepted in MTSU’s graduate program may participate in the department’s internship program, with placements available in prosecutor and public defender offices, sheriff and police departments, probation and parole offices, courts, and state and federal agencies. Master’s candidates may choose either the thesis option or a non-thesis track requiring an internship.

Career

A Master of Criminal Justice degree allows graduates to pursue advanced opportunities in law enforcement, courts, and corrections at the federal, state, or local level, or with private security or businesses associated with the criminal justice system. M.C.J. holders also may continue studies for careers in higher education or for law degrees. Some occupations for MTSU graduates from this program:

Attorney
Chief of police
Corporate security officer/director
Court administrator
Criminal justice professor
Crisis counselor
Emergency services director
Family resource specialist
Forensic scientist
Investigator
Juvenile court judge
Police officer
Pre-trial release/pre-trial diversion officer
Probation officer/director
Public information officer
Regulatory board investigator
Sheriff
Social services district director
Special agent
State director of safety/homeland security
State trooper
U.S. deputy marshal
Warden
Employers of MTSU alumni include
Blue Ridge Center, Asheville, N.C.
Cannon County
City of Atlanta
Cope, Hudson, Scarlett, Reed, McCreary
Cumberland University
Eastern Kentucky University
Family Voices of Tennessee
Fillauer & Wilson, P.C., Cleveland, Tenn.
Forensic Medical
Gallatin Police Department
Hendersonville Police Department
Humphreys County 911
Keiser University
La Vergne Police Department
Litigation Paralegal
Metro-Nashville Government
Metro-Nashville Police Department
Murfreesboro Police Department
Oasis Center
Regions Bank
Rutherford County
State of Tennessee
State of West Virginia
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Tennessee Correction Academy
Tennessee Department of Human Services
Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security
Tennessee Highway Patrol
Tennessee Parole Board
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Probation Office (various locations)
University of South Carolina

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Program overview

The master of science degree in criminal justice emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to urban studies with a focus on public safety. The program stresses training in policy analysis and practice, particularly as it is relevant to community and urban issues. The program builds on a foundation of locally relevant policy research by providing students with the critical skills to carry out such work and the experience to assure success in employment or in pursuit of further graduate studies. The program provides students with a strong foundation in criminological, criminal justice theory, and social scientific research skills, thus enabling graduates to have successful careers in the policy analysis arena or to be prepared to pursue advanced study beyond the master's degree.

Plan of study

A minimum of 30 semester credit hours is required for completion of the MS in criminal justice. Students applying to the program should have a strong undergraduate foundation in criminology and research methods. Students that do not possess these skills may be required to complete additional undergraduate course work (e.g., Criminology, Theories of Crime, and Research Methods) or demonstrate that they have equivalent skills for completion of the degree.

Curriculum

Criminal justice MS degree, typical course sequence as follows:
-Professional Seminar In Criminal Justice Theory
-Statistics
-Professional Seminar in Research Methods
-Advanced Criminology
-Crime, Justice and Community
-Interventions and Change in Criminal Justice
-Electives
-Thesis in Criminal Justice (if thesis option is selected)
-Capstone in Criminal Justice (if project option is selected)

Other admission requirements

-Submit official transcripts (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work.
-Submit two writing samples, one of which is a personal statement.
-Complete a personal interview.
-Have completed a statistics course (students may be required to take a data analysis or a statistics course if not taken previously).
-Submit two letters of recommendation (letters should be from faculty familiar with the applicant's academic work).
-Submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
-Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and complete a graduate application.
-International applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores of 570 (paper-based) or 88 (Internet-based) are required.

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