CSU Global’s accredited online Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice requires the completion of 24 core degree course credits and 12 specialization course credits.
Flexible Schedule
Like all courses at CSU Global, our Master’s in Criminal Justice students can work full time, spend time with family and friends, and still be part of a rigorous degree program.
100% Online
Our 100% online learning environment means you don’t have to put life on hold to pursue a degree, and with asynchronous classes, you can complete coursework from anywhere.
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Pursue the Career You’ve Always Wanted With a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice
Earning your Master’s in Criminal Justice isn’t just a great way to deepen your knowledge and broaden your capacity for public service. It’s also an excellent opportunity to advance your career in this often challenging, yet intensely fulfilling field.
You might already have a fundamental understanding of how the criminal justice system functions, but earning your Master’s in Criminal Justice will ensure that you remain on the cutting edge of security, safety, and technology.
Our accredited online Criminal Justice graduate program will provide you with an advanced understanding of criminal justice, fraud, and law-enforcement theory, along with best practices, ethics, the tools and strategies used to prevent and respond to cybercrime, and decision-making skills required for combating international crime and terrorism.
As a leader in criminal justice, you may be called upon to evaluate community-based justice to prevent crime, address cybercrime, terrorism, or forensics issues, prevent and manage fraud, and evaluate how technology is used as a crime-fighting tool, and that’s exactly what CSU Global’s program will train you to do.
Courses in this Program
CSU Global’s accredited online Master’s in Criminal Justice Degree requires the completion of 36 core credits. (Some students may be required to take RES501 as part of their program if they have an undergraduate GPA below 3.00. In this case, the degree is 39 credits.)
When you earn your master's degree through CSU Global, you will customize it with a graduate specialization in a subject that matches your professional goals or personal interests.
CSU Global’s online Criminal Justice Master’s Degree will provide you with a richer, deeper understanding of critical topics in criminal justice, with curriculum addressing:
Technology
Cybercrime
International crime
Terrorism
Ethics
Decision making
The impact of crime on society
Specific learning outcomes for this program also include being able to:
Describe crime and control from a range of theoretical and global perspectives.
Evaluate research design, data collection, and analytical method.
Discuss the roles, strategies, and impacts of effective leadership and management.
Evaluate the role of community-based justice in preventing crime.
Apply professional ethics and its importance in our criminal justice system.
Describe knowledge of high-tech and occupational crimes in cause, detection, investigation, prosecution, and prevention.
Evaluate how technology is used as an effective contemporary crime-fighting tool.
Finally, CSU Global’s partnership with important criminal justice agencies and associations ensures that our program and related specializations will provide the very latest information from the field, while also helping to build your professional network. Our partner agencies include:
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF)
Alpha Phi Sigma Honors Society
Affordable Tuition
As a not-for-profit public university, our goal at CSU Global is to make your online tuition cost as affordable as possible. We offer low-cost online degree tuition rates without taking anything away from the quality of the education you receive. We also lock in that low tuition rate with our tuition guarantee, and we provide additional discounted tuition rates for members of the armed forces and employees of our corporate affiliate partners.
Getting your Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice may help advance your career by making you eligible for better, more leadership-oriented roles at criminal justice organizations, including private companies, public corporations, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal government agencies.
Criminal Justice Master’s programs prepare you to take charge as a leader in this intensely fulfilling, often challenging, and critically important field responsible for protecting public safety and securing private property.
If you want to be on the cutting edge of the industry and you’re looking to land a leadership role, then deepening your knowledge and broadening your capacity for serving the public by getting your Criminal Justice Master’s Degree is an excellent idea.
Getting a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice will prepare you for a variety of leadership roles in the field by helping ensure that you can provide value to any organization from day one.
Your Criminal Justice Master’s program will train you to improve criminal justice processes and organizations by providing you with a wealth of new knowledge, skills, and abilities, including:
Describing crime and control achieved via criminal justice systems across a range of theoretical and global perspectives.
Discussing the roles, strategies, and impacts of effective criminal justice leadership and management.
Evaluating the role of community-based criminal justice programs in preventing crime.
Applying professional ethics to, and understanding their importance and impact on our criminal justice system.
Describing knowledge of high-technology and occupational crimes in cause, detection, investigation, prosecution, and prevention.
Evaluating how technology can be used as a highly effective tool for fighting crime.
Master’s courses in Criminal Justice will hone your skills and abilities for protecting the public and personal property by enhancing your understanding of best practices in criminal justice, fraud detection and prevention, and law-enforcement management.
Your increased understanding and awareness of the effective use of criminal justice best practices and leadership strategies will improve your eligibility for assuming a variety of important managerial-level roles, helping you develop a career that could lead to a top role in the field, like:
Police and Detectives / 2020 Median Pay: $67,290
Emergency Management Directors / 2020 Median Pay: $76,250
Detectives and Criminal Investigators / 2021 Median Pay: $90,370
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Postsecondary Teachers / 2021 Median Pay: $81,730
Yes. CSU Global’s online Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission—which has the highest accreditation standards and is only awarded following an investigation by independent, external auditors.
Regional accreditation ensures that CSU Global keeps its promises to students, including:
Ensuring that the degree prepares students for relevant careers in the field.
Providing financial and other assistance to students who want it.
Employing faculty members who are adequately qualified to teach their courses.
Using ethical strategies to attract prospective students.
Our 100% online accredited Criminal Justice Master’s program was designed to help you juggle education, work, and family responsibilities, with no requirements for showing up at set times or physical locations, monthly class starts, and accelerated eight-week courses.
Yes. Completing a Master’s Program in Criminal Justice is a valuable investment in your career, and could play a significant role in helping contribute to your overall career advancement.
Whether you want to work for a private company, public corporation, nonprofit organization, federal, state, or local government agency, the criminal justice and leadership skills you hone in our M.S. in Criminal Justice program will prepare you to take charge and improve the effectiveness of criminal justice organizations and systems.
With our program’s emphasis on leadership and our partnership with leading criminal justice agencies and organizations like FEMA, IAEM, ACFE, CAIF, and the Alpha Phi Sigma Honors Society, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional network while picking up the skills, abilities, and understanding needed to attain a leadership role in the industry.
CSU Global’s online Criminal Justice Master’s program is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and considered to be one of the best criminal justice graduate programs, having recently received several prestigious acknowledgments, including:
A #1 ranking for 25 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice for 2020 by Best Masters Programs.
A #4 ranking for The 20 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs 2020” from Online Course Report.
Ranked #17 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Program for Veterans by U.S. News and World Report.
Career Outlook
More Than 50,000 Related Job Openings
The BLS reports 51,700 openings for police and detectives projected each year, on average, from 2020-2030.
Common Job Titles
Some job titles commonly held by those who obtained a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice include: Forensic Investigator, Loss Prevention Agent, Corporate Investigator, Security Expert, Director of Fraud, or Magistrate
$66k+ Median Salary
According to the BLS, the average annual salary for Police and Detectives in 2021 was over $66k.
Program Accreditations and Rankings
CSU Global is proud to offer affordable, reputable programs that have received recognition for their quality, value, and more. Click here to learn more about our rankings and acknowledgments.
25 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice
Best Masters Programs ranked CSU Global #1 on its list of Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice for 2020.
Top Online Master's in Law Enforcement Administration Programs of 2022
Intelligent ranked CSU Global #3 on its list of Top Online Master's in Law Enforcement Administration Programs of 2022.
Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Program for Veterans
In 2022, U.S. News and World Report named CSU Global as the #17 Best Master's in Criminal Justice for Veterans.
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Regional Accreditation
Regional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) means your degree comes from a top-quality, trusted university.
CSU Global gave me the opportunity to participate in class and the ability to graduate in two years with my unconventional work week. I worked night shifts and would not have been able to take daily classes because of the times they had scheduled.
