Criminal Justice, M.S.

Opportunities and Outcomes

The growing criminal justice field provides professional opportunities for those with the right mix of education, passion and experience. According to the National Policing Institute, officers with a graduate degree are promoted faster than their counterparts, and criminal justice professionals can make $20,000 to $30,000 more per year with a master's degree.

Potential careers and average salaries for people with an M.S. in Criminal Justice include:

• Pennsylvania municipal police officer: $76,880 (up to $90-100K in southeast PA, depending on experience)
• Pennsylvania police detective: $83,640
• Pennsylvania police chief: $102,880
• Criminal justice professor: $64,600
• Forensic science technician: $63,740
• FBI agent: $93,970
• FBI specialist: $100,000
• CIA agent: $87,091
• United States postal inspector: $64,964
• Computer forensics investigator: $75,525
• Fire investigator: $63,080
• Intelligence analyst: $75,298

Program Highlights

• Take a combination of online, asynchronous and synchronous courses that fit with varied work schedules while providing opportunity for live instruction and peer networking.
• Complete one class at a time in seven-week sessions to finish your degree in five semesters, as little as two and a half years.
• Participate in a final capstone with a practicum experience or a thesis research project in the field that aligns with your career goals.
• Learn from experienced field experts and faculty, both well-rounded and well-researched scholars and practitioners in relevant and diverse fields.
• Earn your Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership along the way as you pursue your master’s degree.

Course Overview

Required Courses:

• LDR 600: Foundations of Leadership
• LDR 604: Theories of Change
• LDR 605: Politics of Leading
• LDR 621: Strategic and Critical Problem-Solving
• CRJ 600: Criminological Theory
• CRJ 601: Ethics in the Criminal Justice System
• CRJ 602: Research Design and Data Analysis
• CRJ 603: Criminal Law and Procedure
• CRJ 604: Pro-Seminar in Criminal Justice
• CRJ 609: Cybersecurity

Student Learning Objectives

• Apply the integration of knowledge and skills learned in social theory, research methods and data analysis in criminology.
• Employ the basic conceptual tools, methods, and theories necessary to address social behavior (including criminal behavior), social groups and society.
• Demonstrate a deepening awareness of society’s needs and exercise a commitment to criminal justice.
• Provide evidence of proficiency for working with diverse populations in the public or private sector.
• Display skills in working with and helping people in the criminal justice professions.
• Develop the understanding that leadership is the ethical and respectful application of power within a specific cultural context.
• Learn to exercise various practices for negotiation and consensus building in the strategic mitigation of conflict.

Admission Requirements

• Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Provide official undergraduate transcripts demonstrating a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• Submit a current resume
• Provide two professional letters of recommendation