Master of Science in Criminal Justice

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Master of Science in Criminal Justice

College of Professional Advancement

What is a Master of Science in Criminal Justice?

The rapid advance of technology and the specter of terrorism have created an expanding need for professionals with advanced skills to grapple with the criminal justice issues of the 21st century. A degree in criminal justice touches on many different elements, all involving the study of people through concepts of sociology, psychology, and how legal decisions are made. This online master’s program is designed to prepare you to go into the field of criminal justice, either the academic field or a more pragmatic-oriented field such as law enforcement or corrections.

Accelerated 6-week courses

Transfer up to 9 approved credits

1 course at a time

$0 Application Fee

What You’ll Learn

This criminal justice online program develops your knowledge and skills in the areas of criminal law, criminal justice, forensics and crime scene investigations, cybercrime and technology, management, constitutional processes, ethics, victimology, comparisons of criminal justice systems, and other current and related topics. Upon completion of your master’s degree in criminal justice, you will be able to:

Analyze the major systems of criminal justice and how the functions of police, prosecution, courts, and corrections are interrelated
Evaluate the issues and management of personnel administration in criminal justice
Analyze the judicial processes of the U.S. Constitution
Explain ethical issues within the criminal justice system
Evaluate research regarding criminal justice and public policy and its effect on society, victims, and rehabilitation
Assess research and methods used to investigate a key empirical or theoretical issue relating to criminal justice

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Serve the greater good – earn your master’s in criminal justice online from the University of Arizona Global Campus. Your online courses cover advanced topics in law, ethics, forensics, and corrections.

Admission Requirements

Year 1

Year 2

Homeland Security Specialization

Law Enforcement & Corrections Administration Specialization

Year 1

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of the criminal justice system, substantive criminal law, and the U.S. Constitution. This course may be waived for students holding undergraduate degrees in criminal justice or having completed certain courses.
This course examines criminal justice policies and theories, and structures of the criminal justice system. Research and materials in this course will also be used to explore criminal justice policies and social justice.
This course explores classical and contemporary literature in criminology and criminal justice. Both theory and empirical research will be used to examine criminal behavior as well as the structure, function, and interaction of the criminal justice system.
This course examines the structure, functions, and operations of the constitution and judicial processes. The impact of historical and contemporary constitutional issues on the criminal justice process will also be examined.
This course introduces the use of research methods in the study of criminal justice. The focus is on the examination of the issues related to collecting, analyzing, and using data. Students will study quantitative and qualitative methods, criminal justice data, ethics, inferences, and social justice.
This course introduces students to the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. Students will examine major sub-areas of psychology that comprise the discipline of forensic psychology including criminal psychology, legal psychology, victimology, police psychology, and correctional psychology.
This course examines theoretical and applied criminal justice ethical standards as they relate to criminal justice decision-making. Students will evaluate issues concerning discretion, due process, truthfulness, corruption, and discrimination.
This course provides an international perspective on law enforcement. Students will focus on the phenomena of globalization of criminal activity, major aspects of the legal traditions and criminal justice systems of selected countries, as well as international legal and law enforcement institutions.

Year 2

This course provides an overview of the principles and concepts of victimology, an analysis of patterns and trends, as well as theoretical reasoning and responses to criminal victimization. Students will examine the consequences suffered by victims as well as the services and resources available to them.
The Capstone: Evaluation and Program Analysis in Criminal Justice course focuses on key concepts, methods, and issues in criminal justice program evaluation and performance measurement research. Program evaluation and performance measurement research methods are evaluated to determine their efficacy and applications. Finally, students will develop a program evaluation proposal on an existing public sector, nonprofit, or private criminal justice program.

Homeland Security Specialization

Students must select one specialization track and complete all three courses listed below (9 credits total). Courses cannot be combined across specialization tracks.

This course introduces students to the responsibilities and functions across agencies at various jurisdictional levels that have the charge of homeland security. Students will also focus on the methods and effectiveness of response systems and social justice issues. In addition, students will study practical actions in homeland security and develop skills to evaluate complex policy issues.
This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of terrorism, both international and domestic. The course will explore the causes and effects of terrorism as they relate to political structures from both religious and historical perspectives; with particular focus on present day impacts.
This course is intended to provide the student with advanced knowledge and understanding of the area of risk assessment and management. The course includes focus on critical infrastructure, threats, sharing information between communities and agencies, the collaboration of resources, and the management of risk. Students will examine the concepts of risk assessment, risk analysis, and the impacts of actual and suspected threats. Students will also study social justice, ethical issues, and legal issues in risk assessment.

Law Enforcement & Corrections Administration Specialization

Students must select one specialization track and complete all three courses listed below (9 credits total). Courses cannot be combined across specialization tracks.

This course provides an analysis of the various issues facing criminal justice and correctional organizations in the context of professional practice, including theoretical concepts and research focused on organizational behavior, management and leadership of human resources, and design and structural processes of such organizations. Included topics are fiscal accountability; personnel deployment; implementation of change, motivation and retention of personnel, the hiring, assignment, and promotion of personnel, organizational communication; professional development, emerging technologies, and applicable legal issues as they pertain to agency operations.
This course explores specialized topics in substantive and procedural law with a special emphasis on employment law, and how these legal issues impact ethics and leadership in criminal justice and correctional organizations. This course is well suited for command-level personnel in response to a variety of potential agency and personal liability issues.
This course will introduce students to public program budgeting and finance concepts. Special emphasis is given to methods of financing public programs and the preparation and management of budgets for the programs. This course is intended to provide students with an opportunity to learn and practice the technical aspects of program budgeting and finance in the public safety arena.

*Students who waive CRJ 501 are required to take 36 total program credits in order to meet graduation requirements.

Program Requirements

To be awarded the Master of Science in Criminal Justice degree, all students must complete 39 credits with a 3.0 minimum grade point average. Students who have earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice or have successfully completed undergraduate coursework in criminal justice, criminal law, and constitutional law with a grade of “C” or higher will be exempt from the requirement to take CRJ 501 Criminal Justice, Criminal Law & the Constitution. Students who waive CRJ 501 are required to take 36 total program credits in order to meet graduation requirements.

Licensure and Certification Terms and Conditions

This program is not designed to meet the state education requirements for a specific professional license or certification in any state nor is it designed to meet the state educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification in any state. Students seeking licensure or certification in a particular profession shall carefully research the requirements prior to enrollment and regularly review the requirements as they are subject to change. Requirements vary by state. ��ɫ��TV��Ƶ does not guarantee that any professional organization will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any exam for the purpose of professional certification. Further, a criminal record may prevent an applicant from obtaining licensure, certification, or employment in their field of study.

This program is not designed to qualify a student for employment with a federal, state or local law enforcement agency. State and local police agencies may require training and certification specified by the individual state’s law enforcement board and may be provided post-hire at a police academy. Other federal, state, and local agencies as well as private entities may have individualized requirements. Students shall contact individual agencies and states’ law enforcement boards for additional information relating to these requirements.

Certain degree programs may not be available in all states.

Quality Matters Certification

The Online Teaching Support Certification recognizes programs that require all online faculty to undergo training in best practices for online course delivery, provide faculty with ongoing pedagogical support, encourage faculty professional development to increase their knowledge and skill in online teaching, emphasize instructor availability and feedback to learners, and collect and use feedback from learners to improve online teaching. Learn More

Careers Related to Master of Science in Criminal Justice

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U.S. Department of Labor data regarding salary ranges and job growth projections are national in nature and do not guarantee employment, any specific salary, or job growth. Also, national long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions. Top Skills are provided via Lightcast job postings data and may not align with UAGC program learning outcomes. UAGC programs are not designed to meet the state educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification in any state. UAGC does not guarantee employment placement, any specific salary from employment, or career advancement.

Meet Our Faculty

College of Professional Advancement

Ted Ellis, PhD, JD, MS

Program Chair - Assistant Professor

College of Professional Advancement

Antoinette Vicks, DCJ

Assistant Professor, Social and Criminal Justice - Assistant Professor

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What You’ll Learn body > div.site-container > main > article > div.site-layout__article-content > div.paid-text-banner.--grey-background.--extend-width > h2 > span Degree Journey body > div.site-container > main > article > div.site-layout__article-content > section.site-layout__article-content-section.--white.--full-width > div > div.intro-block > div.intro-block__header-container > h2 Specializations body > div.site-container > main > article > div.site-layout__article-content > section.site-layout__article-content-section.--grey.--full-width > div > div.accordion-faq__header-container > h2 Career Outcomes body > div.site-container > main > article > div.site-layout__article-content > div.floating-image-text > div > div.floating-image-text__text-container > div.floating-image-text__text-wrapper > h2 > span Faculty body > div.site-container > main > article > div.site-layout__article-content > div.faculty-member.--grey-background > h2 > span Testimonials body > div.site-container > main > article > div.site-layout__article-content > div.site-layout__article-content-section.--full-width > div > div.success-stories-video__wrapper > div.success-stories-video__header-wrapper > div.success-stories-video__subheader Our master's degree in criminal justice specializing in cybercrime, forensics, law enforcement, or homeland security develops skills for a career in criminal justice. 39 Credits 6-week Courses

A degree in criminal justice touches on many different elements, all involving the study of people through concepts of sociology, psychology, and how legal decisions are made. This online master’s program is designed to prepare you to go into the field of criminal justice, either the academic field or a more pragmatic-oriented field such as law enforcement or corrections.

Analyze the major systems of criminal justice and how the functions of police, prosecution, courts, and corrections are interrelated Evaluate the issues and management of personnel administration in criminal justice Analyze the judicial processes of the U.S. Constitution Police Captain Shift Supervisor Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Deputy Deputy Sheriff Patrol Officer IndividualDegree Tue, 08/18/2026 - 00:00 Tue, 09/29/2026 - 00:00 Tue, 11/10/2026 - 00:00 Tue, 01/12/2027 - 00:00 Tue, 02/23/2027 - 00:00 Off 001Do00000ScUz8IAF Off

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Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

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What is a Master of Science in Criminal Justice?

What You’ll Learn

Take the Next Step

Degree Completion Journey

Year 1

Year 2

Homeland Security Specialization

Law Enforcement & Corrections Administration Specialization

Careers Related to Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Meet Our Faculty

College of Professional Advancement

Ted Ellis, PhD, JD, MS

College of Professional Advancement

Antoinette Vicks, DCJ

Other Degrees That May Interest You

Your Goals. Your Guide.

4 Reasons to Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Social and Criminal Justice

UAGC Society for Human Resource Management Spotlight

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Request Information About Our Degrees

Please provide a few details

Explore our accredited degree programs

Please provide a few details

Questions? Request Information

Please provide a few details

What is a Master of Science in Criminal Justice?

What You’ll Learn

Take the Next Step

Degree Completion Journey

Year 1

CRJ 501 Criminal Justice, Criminal Law and the Constitution

CRJ 510 Criminal Justice Policy and Theory

CRJ 512 Criminological Theory

CRJ 514 Constitutional and Judicial Processes

CRJ 520 Research Methods in Criminal Justice

CRJ 522 Psychological Factors in Criminal Justice

CRJ 524 Ethics in Criminal Justice

CRJ 613 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

Year 2

CRJ 615 Victimology

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CRJ 697 Capstone: Evaluation and Program Analysis in Criminal Justice

Homeland Security Specialization

CRJ 623 Homeland Security

CRJ 628 Terrorism: Threats and Strategy

CRJ 633 Risk Assessment

Law Enforcement & Corrections Administration Specialization

CRJ 620 Organizational Behavior in Law Enforcement and Corrections

CRJ 625 Employment and Policy Law for Law Enforcement and Corrections Administrators

CRJ 630 Budgeting for Finance Law Enforcement and Corrections Administrators

Careers Related to Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Meet Our Faculty

College of Professional Advancement

Ted Ellis, PhD, JD, MS

College of Professional Advancement

Antoinette Vicks, DCJ

Other Degrees That May Interest You

Your Goals. Your Guide.

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