In today’s society, knowledge of criminal justice and security is rapidly becoming vital in not just the traditional criminal justice arenas (police, security, intelligence) but also corporations, hospitals, colleges/universities, and non-profit agencies.  Issues of security and crisis management are prevalent and growing in our culture and around the world. The criminal justice professional also needs to have leadership and teambuilding skills and an understanding of the ethical and moral aspects of relevant issues. An enhanced appreciation of one’s social and civic responsibility is also a must.  In today’s global and complex world, criminal justice professionals need to acquire all of these tools in an advanced degree to succeed and be prepared for changes in the workplace. In addition, a degree that focuses on both domestic and global security and justice issues is highly desired in the field.  

Graduates of the Master’s in Criminal Justice program acquire a variety of useful skills for the profession, including critical thinking; a clear understanding of diversity and cultural issues; an understanding of the language of the discipline; excellent communication skills, including writing, quantitative reasoning, and investigative skills; and a working knowledge of technology. This program grounds students in the field of criminal justice provides them opportunities to specialize in homeland and global justice, emergency and crisis management, and violence prevention and advocacy.  Further, students can develop their own concentration through our Self-Designed Option, with the support and guidance of a faculty mentor.

Graduate and Professional Studies, in collaboration with the Justice Studies Department, has established the following Goals and Outcomes for the Master's in Criminal Justice degree.  The program is structured to support students to achieve these goals and outcomes by the time they complete the program.  

Goal 1: Master the Field of Criminal Justice
Upon completion of the major program of study in Criminal Justice, students will be able to :

1. Identify and analyze disciplinary concepts
2. Demonstrate a critical grasp of the issues related to diversity in the field of Criminal Justice
3. Discuss in-depth and analyze the ethical and moral values of the profession

Goal 2: Analytic Thinking
Upon completion of the major program of study in Criminal Justice, students will be able to:

1. Compare and discriminate between issues in the discipline
2. Summarize and critique the research and theories in the field
3. Use concepts, theories and own experience to identify and assess critical challenges in the field

 Goal 3: Practice-focused Research
Upon completion of the major program of study in Criminal Justice, students will be able to:

1. Use and apply effective research and quantative reasoning skills
2. Design an effective research strategy to investigate issues/challenges in the field
3. Analyze and evaluate research findings and develop effective and workable recommendations
4.  Apply findings of research to improve and inform the practice of Criminal Justice.

Goal 4: Communication
Upon completion of the major program of study in Criminal Justice, students will be able to:

1.      Analyze a situation and develop effective communication strategies utilizing appropriate communication mediums
2.      Identify potential causes to communication breakdowns and design and implement solutions
3.      Identify and shape communication to target audience and stakeholders

Goal 5: Leadership
Upon completion of the major program of study in Criminal Justice, students will be able to:

1. Identify and evaluate qualities of effective leadership
2. Anticipate and recognize emerging trends and/or challenges in the field of Criminal Justice. Develop and motivate people and teams to meet emerging trends and challenges.
3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of financial, human and technical resources needed to manage and implement change.

Criminal Justice Curriculum
The curriculum for the three M.S. in Criminal Justice options is shown below. The degree program is structured as follows:

• 36 credits are required for the MS degree
• 21 credits (7 courses) comprise the core offerings
• 9 credits (3 courses) required for the concentration
• 6 credits (2 courses) required for electives
• Specific courses from the Graduate offerings in Management and Communication are approved by the Chair of Justice Studies

Learn more about the Criminal Justice concentration offerings:

• Emergency and Crisis Management
• Homeland Security and Global Justice
• Violence Prevention and Advocacy
• Self-Designed Option