Top Five Online Masters in Criminal Justice Programs
The Masters in Criminal Justice is one degree where an inquiring potential student is going to find a lot of options available online. Degrees in this field are offered in distance learning format by traditional universities and the newer online oriented institutions alike. Some of the programs are limited to a single degree format but more of them include areas of specialization that allow for professional development in several criminal justice sectors. Degrees to support the career aspirations of law enforcement personnel, probation officers, parole agents and investigative specialists are all available through online programs.
1. University of Cincinnati has one of the top three graduate programs in criminal justice in the nation. The University has also been extremely proactive in developing an online education division and one of the degrees for which there is an online option is the Master of Science in Criminal Justice. There is a one year full-time option and a two year part time choice for working professionals. The curriculum content is organized into four areas: theory, administration and policy, research, and special topics. This last curriculum area requires students to choose for of these five classes: Seminar in White Collar Crime, Correctional Rehabilitation, Community Corrections, Police Effectiveness, and a Seminar in Crime & the Life.
2. Grand Canyon University offers two online graduate degrees in criminal justice. Their Master of Science in Criminal Justice with Emphasis in Law Enforcement is designed for the mid-career law enforcement professional returning to school for purposes of moving up the seniority ladder. It is also appropriate for probation officers, corrections officers and parole officers. The Masters of Criminal Justice with Emphasis in Legal Studies is also for professionals in the criminal justice system; this degree however focuses more on legal research, law and public policy, forensic psychology and Constitutional issues in criminal justice.
3. Keiser University has an online Master of Arts in Criminal Justice degree designed as a 36 credit hour program that can be completed on a full time or part time basis. Applicants will need a baccalaureate and possibly GRE test scores. Among the courses that focus on management skills for criminal justice professionals are Juvenile Justice, Gender, Race & Crime, Seminar in Court Systems, Professionalism & Ethics in Criminal Justice, and a Seminar in Correctional Systems. The skills this program seeks to develop for students include analyzing an agencies strengths and weaknesses, evaluation of the psychological factors underlying criminal behavior and the ability to function effectively within current criminal justice administrative structures.
4. Capella University offers an online Master of Science in Public Safety with concentration in Criminal Justice. This is a degree expressly designed for professional development and targeted at people working in corrections, rehabilitation or law enforcement fields. The three core course focus on public safety issues such as Ethnic & Cultural Awareness and Research Methodology. The nine specialization courses and electives provide a tighter focus on juvenile justice, the history of justice policy development and social change, and such law enforcement skills as criminal psychology & profiling. There are also additional courses available for another seven areas of concentration.
5. South University has an extensive Master of Criminal Justice program available online. The degree is offered with four areas of concentration, all of which focus on specific career areas: Homeland Security, Corrections, Cyber Crime, and Public Administration. The mixture of public administration and criminal justice is meant to provide training for management candidates in public law enforcement agencies. The entire area of cyber crime has become an important focal point for federal agencies such as the FBI and the DEA that track domestic theft via the Internet and the international use of digital technology to hide and move funds, and to commit fraud.
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