Liberty University | MS in Criminal Justice

Liberty University's Master of Science in Criminal Justice offers students the opportunity to build administrative skills for possible career advancement in various criminal justice settings, such as law enforcement organizations or correctional institutions. Read more about this online MS program here.

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Official Program Name:

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

School Offering Program:

Liberty University

Degree Level:

Master's

Program Prerequisites:

Incoming students should possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and hold a GPA of 3.0 or greater. Strong leadership, organizational, and decision-making skills are helpful. Applicants to Liberty University should have a high school diploma or equivalent; some programs may have additional requirements.

Program Description:

Students of Liberty University's Master of Science in Criminal Justice program could expect to take courses addressing general managerial practices, evaluation processes, and trends with various branches of criminal justice, such as homeland security and corrections. Course topics are likely to include criminal justice roles in courts, law enforcement, and prosecution; criminal justice reform; measurement of crime and criminal justice program evaluation; and ethical leadership practices. Electives are taken from any master's level courses within the School of Government. Students who choose the thesis option must conduct extensive research within the field of criminal justice.

Learning Format:

Online

Program Length:

36 credits.

Financial Aid Available:

Eligible students could be able to receive financial aid in the forms of grants, loans, and scholarships. Contact Liberty University's financial aid office for more information.

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Required Courses for a Master of Science in Criminal Justice:

Students must complete six core courses totaling 18 credits in addition to 12 credits in electives and six additional credits in either electives or a thesis project to earn this graduate degree. Degree program and course requirements are subject to change. Contact Liberty University to confirm the most accurate information before enrolling in a program.

Core Courses (18 credits)

Criminal Justice Integration
Administration of Justice Organizations
HR Management in Criminal Justice Organizations
Topics & Trends in Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Program Evaluation
Leadership, Ethics, & Policing

Elective Courses (12 credits)

Students choose four 500-600 level elective courses

Thesis or Elective Courses (6 credits)

Thesis Proposal and Research
Thesis Defense

Post-Graduation Opportunities

Furthering Your Education:

In many cases, earning an MS degree in Criminal Justice could be sufficient in helping graduates seek leadership roles in this field. However, those who wish to pursue academic or research careers might enroll in a doctoral degree program. A doctoral program might offer more in-depth studies in criminal justice theories, research methodologies, and policy development.

Doctoral degrees graduates might be prepared to pursue include, but are not limited to:

PhD in Criminal Justice
PhD in Criminal Justice - Leadership
PhD in Public Policy

Career Paths:

Graduates of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program might possess the skills and knowledge of administrative processes needed to seek leadership roles in law enforcement agencies, government agencies, private security firms, corporate security departments, correctional institutions, or courts. They might oversee areas of personnel management, correctional case management, court processes, criminal investigations, or emergency response plan development.

Some job titles that graduate might be prepared to fill include:

Criminologist
Prison warden
Police supervisor
Social services administrator
Correctional officer supervisor