Criminal Justice Leadership Specialization

The Criminal Justice Leadership Specialization provides professionals in criminal justice organizations with the knowledge and insight to successful provide leadership within their arenas. Coursework in the online criminal justice classes is especially focused on developing management and decision-making skills.

Through an in-depth exploration of criminal justice topics and theory, students gain effective methodology including practical application of policy, research, ethics, and administration.

CSU-Global Graduate students customize their degree program with a four-course (12 total credit hours) Specialization in an area of particular interest. The Specialization in Criminal Justice Leadership helps professionals in the field with new methods of providing guidance and administration.

Students completing the online Criminal Justice Leadership Degree Program Specialization will:

• Gain an advanced understanding of the ethical issues facing criminal justice organizations and personnel.
• Analyze and apply the influences leadership and management have on a criminal justice organizational culture.
• Integrate the policy and political implications of criminal justice administration and leadership.
• Compare and contrast criminological theories and understand the relationship between theory and practice.

Students should complete a majority of their degree coursework prior to their specialization. New students can apply online for university and degree program enrollment. Earning your master’s degree has never been more affordable thanks to CSU-Global’s low tuition rates and Tuition Guarantee that locks in your tuition at the time of initial enrollment. CSU-Global also offers financial aid for students who need it.

CRJ500 Criminological Theory: Understand theories and principles of crime and deviance from a criminological perspective.  Gain an understanding of the guiding theories that contribute to our understanding of crime and justice, including an examination of social factors that contribute to criminal behavior, deviance, and social control.

CRJ530 Ethics, Justice and Social Control: Explore the theory, practice, and application of ethics to the field of criminal justice and understand the role ethics has in law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Students will gain a basic understanding of how ethics meshes with the practice of criminal justice. Gain a sophisticated understanding of how ethics and popular constructions of ethics impact how justice policy has been influenced historically and how it is formed today.

CRJ540 Criminal Justice Policy Development and Analysis: This course explores the process of policy making in the justice system, including an examination of the ways policy decisions impact criminal justice organizations.  Students will learn the fundamentals of the policy process, including agenda setting, implementation, and evaluation. Students will also explore the impact of media and other external forces on setting the policy agenda at the local, state, and federal levels. This course will prepare the student for further inquiry into policy making and the policy process, providing a solid foundation for students to understand the role of policy in justice system practices.

CRJ550 Leadership, Administration, and Management of CJ Organizations: Students will expand their knowledge of organizational behavior and link those theories to the management of justice organizations with various sizes and purposes and all levels of government.  Students will study the critical skills and behaviors of successful organization leaders.  Students will also gain an understanding of what attributes make criminal organizations unique as compared to private and other public organizations.