Criminal Justice

Master of Science, M.S.

Program Overview

The criminal justice master’s program is a practitioner-based program offered fully online. The 30-hour program is available to students with or without previous criminal justice course work. Students have the option of seeking a Master of Science degree with a thesis or a Master of Science degree without the thesis. Students pursuing the Master of Science without the thesis option will be required to take comprehensive exams during the last trimester of their coursework. The student pursuing the Master of Science degree with the thesis option must appear in person to defend his/her thesis during the last trimester of enrollment in the program. Students accepted into the program will complete an individual plan of study ranging from 30 semester hours to 39 hours, depending on previous criminal justice course work.

Degree Requirements without Thesis*

Required courses (24 hrs)

MCJ 600 Administration of Justice
MCJ 610 Applied Ethics
MCJ 620 Seminar in Homeland Security
MCJ 630 Leadership
MCJ 640 Applied Research Methods
MCJ 650 Human Resource Management in Criminal Justice
MCJ 660 Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
MCJ 670 Community Service in Criminal Justice

Elective Courses (6 hours)

MCJ 605 Juvenile Delinquency
MCJ 615 Advanced Criminal Investigations
MCJ 625 Industrial Security
MCJ 635 Civil Liberties
MCJ 645 Community Corrections
MCJ 655 Economics of Crime and Justice
MCJ 675 Independent Study and Research

*Students pursuing a Master of Science degree without the thesis option must pass a written comprehensive exam during their last trimester of enrollment.