Criminal Justice
For individuals who
Are seeking an advanced degree. Are interested in broad areas of law enforcement, courts and corrections.
Looking for
Coursework that focuses on the criminal justice system and criminological theory.
To become
- Counselor
- Correctional Officers
- Criminal Investigators
- Law Enforcement
- Private Investigation
The Department of Criminal Justice offers graduate study leading to both a Master of Science (M.S) .and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Criminal Justice. The M.S. degree has three tracks: Applied Criminal Justice, Criminology, and the Plan C option (which is geared toward professionals working in the criminal justice system and social service agencies). The program in Criminal Justice is designed to enhance student skills in understanding, gathering, processing, and analyzing research in the areas of criminology and criminal justice. The program is geared to understanding, critiquing, and analyzing the causes of crime and the criminal justice system's responses to it. The curriculum consists of foundation courses in theory, policy, and research methods, plus three substantive areas: 1) criminology, 2) policing, and 3) corrections. Students have their choice of specializing in one of the three.
Students will also be afforded course work in learning how to teach a college course.
Graduates will find an expanding and terrific academic job market available as well as professional employment in the criminal justice policy and research sector. There are currently fewer than 40 Criminal Justice Ph.D. programs operating on a national level, so students graduating with a Criminal Justice Ph.D. will be competitive for the 350 positions available annually in academic units.