Academic Programs

The master’s program is comprised of required courses that deliver both substantive and technical skills. Additionally, students choose elective courses from offerings within the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the broader College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Students may also design directed studies with faculty in specific areas of interest. The course offerings afford students the flexibility to customize their own degree plans.

Faculty members in the graduate program represent several different academic disciplines and teaching activities that vary in nature. The faculty’s specialized interests help make possible a broad range of program offerings, including courses on the criminal justice process, criminology, immigration and crime, and global criminology.

Please visit the MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice site to learn more about the program and download a free brochure.

• All required and elective courses are taught by tenured, full-time faculty to ensure a quality learning environment.
• Students accepted into the master’s program on our Arlington campus can also take online courses and complete the program on a full-time or part-time basis, giving them the flexibility to complete coursework at their own pace.
• Students can complete the program in as few as two semesters, with the option to complete a co-op, which extends the program by six months.

• Policy and research skills: Students learn the skills necessary to impact policy and practice by becoming producers and critical consumers of research and scholarship.
• Foundational knowledge: Students demonstrate mastery of foundational knowledge in the field of criminology and criminal justice, growing intellectually and ethically.
• Develop expertise: Students develop a keen appreciation for and understanding of the complexities of crime, criminal behavior, and responses to crime. They gain the ability to contribute to public and private efforts to make communities safer and to ensure justice.