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Program Overview
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program gives you the knowledge and tools to shape public policy in response to contemporary issues in the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. This non-thesis program enables you to pursue advanced professional roles and boost your earnings potential.
$13,212
Total Tuition
as few as 12 months
Program Duration
36
Credit Hours
You will study criminological theory and the administration of justice with an emphasis on in-depth research into corrections, ethics and legal studies. You will learn about comparative criminal justice systems, advanced quantitative methods in criminal justice, cybercrime and more. Our compelling electives include seminars on corrections and police practices, along with a special topics course that you can shape to meet your interests and career goals.
Our dynamic core curriculum covers foundations of the criminal justice system, the relationship between law and criminal justice, and advanced methods of social research. The program incorporates advanced seminars emphasizing analysis of criminal justice policies and criminological theory. Plus, you will participate in a capstone project—graded on a pass/fail basis—in which you will analyze and develop a practical approach to a significant issue facing the American criminal justice system.
This comprehensive master's in criminal justice program delivers curricula using state-of-the-art technology. Through our online platform, you will engage in critical and reflective thinking about professional and scholarly literature. Our coursework challenges you to conceptualize, analyze and evaluate scholarly discourse and participate in informed and thoughtful discussions.
Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for scholarship and commitment to understanding and responding to relevant criminal justice issues. Boost your career in the public or government sector, in law enforcement or corrections, or in programs aimed at rehabilitating adult or juvenile offenders.
Benefit from flexible admission requirements, no thesis requirement and six start dates per year. Our accelerated, 7-week courses are delivered in an online format ideal for working professionals, so you can balance personal and professional obligations while earning your degree. You can complete your degree in as few as 12 months.
In this online program, you will:- Analyze crime issues in contemporary settings, given the practical constraints of the justice system
- Study current societal trends and their impact on legal systems including criminal justice agencies, criminal courts, juvenile courts, mental health courts and civil courts
- Critically examine biological, psychological, sociological and economic theories of crime
- Compare criminal justice systems in the United States and selected countries from Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East
- Discern how crime theories relate to various modalities of cybercrime and victimization
Tuition
Tuition for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program is affordable, and can be paid by the course. All fees are included.
In-State Tuition:
The following tuition applies only to Texas residents.
*Tuition Subject to Change
Program Tuition
$13,212
In-State Tuition Per Credit hour: $367
Out-of-State Tuition:
| Program Tuition |
|---|
| $37,080 |
| Out of State Tuition Per Credit hour |
| $1,030 |
Calendar
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program is delivered in an online format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring six start dates each year. Choose the start date that is best for you.
| Session | Program Start Date | Application Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Payment Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall I 2023 | 08/28/2023 | 08/14/2023 | 08/21/2023 | 08/23/2023 | 08/25/2023 |
| Fall II 2023 | 10/23/2023 | 10/09/2023 | 10/16/2023 | 10/18/2023 | 10/20/2023 |
| Spring I 2024 | 01/16/2024 | 01/02/2024 | 01/08/2024 | 01/10/2024 | 01/12/2024 |
| Spring II 2024 | 03/18/2024 | 03/04/2024 | 03/11/2024 | 03/16/2024 | 03/18/2024 |
| Summer I 2024 | 05/13/2024 | 04/29/2024 | 05/06/2024 | 05/08/2024 | 05/10/2024 |
| Summer II 2024 | 07/08/2024 | 06/24/2024 | 07/01/2024 | 07/03/2024 | 07/05/2024 |
Admissions
You must meet the following requirements for automatic admission into the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program.
Master of Science in Criminal Justice online admission requirements- Bachelor's degree
- Transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- Professional resume
Automatic admission will be granted to students with a bachelor's degree (in any major or field) with an overall GPA of 2.8 or above, or an overall GPA of 2.5 with three of more years of work experience in Criminal Justice or related fields.
Applicants with an overall GPA below 2.8 with no work experience in Criminal Justice or related fields will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by program faculty.
Applicants with an overall GPA below 2.5 will also be required to submit a 200-word personal statement describing their academic and professional background characteristics that will assist them in successfully completing the online degree program, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by program faculty.
The admissions committee may request a personal interview.
International Transcript Evaluation:
TAMIU does their own foreign credential evaluations. Graduate School does not require third party evaluations nor are obligated to accept the results, or GPA calculations, if an evaluation is submitted. If an applicant submits an official evaluation, the evaluation does not replace official transcripts or certificates of graduation.
Official transcripts from all institutions attended can be sent to:
Texas A&M International University
Graduate School
Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, Suite 223
5201 University Boulevard
Laredo, TX 78041
OR
Electronically to [email protected]
**Former TAMIU students DO NOT have to request TAMIU transcripts.
For documents other than transcripts, please upload to your application portal located here. If transcripts are uploaded to the portal, you will be asked to resend all official transcripts by mail or email and will delay the application process.
Have a question? Call us at 844-872-8712.
[close-]Courses
Curriculum for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program is comprised of 12 courses (36 credit hours), including 18 credit hours of core courses and 18 credit hours of Criminology electives.
You must take the following courses.
CRIJ 5300: Foundations in Criminal Justice
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Students in this course will survey various topics within criminal justice. Special attention will be given to theories of crime, research methodology, policy, and legal issues.
CRIJ 5301: Advanced Seminar in Criminal System
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to build the student's critical abilities in analyzing criminal justice policies. This course also examines organizational theories, management and personnel issues including ethics in criminal justice.
CRIJ 5303: Law and Criminal Justice
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This is a study of current societal trends and their impact on legal systems including criminal justice agencies, criminal courts, juvenile courts, mental health courts and civil courts. The role of the U.S. Constitution–as well as the role and response of both state and federal court systems with respect to these societal trends—will be explored.
CRIJ 5320: Advanced Methods of Social Research
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on a variety of research techniques, including theories and frames of reference, the logic of conceptual schemes, and hypothesis development and testing. A variety of sampling plans are contrasted and evaluated, and sampling issues are examined. Critical measurement issues are highlighted, including validity and reliability as well as how these terms are conceptualized and applied in scaling. Alternative data-gathering methods and issues are featured. Several bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques are presented, including relevant computer applications such as SPSS.
CRIJ 5330: Seminar in Criminological Theory
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course includes critical examination of biological, psychological, sociological and economic theories of crime. The "traditional theories" of crime—theories upon which the field was originally founded—are covered. Also analyzed are the new "integrated" theories along with relevant research data.
CRIJ 5395: Capstone Project in Criminal Justice
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course includes a practical approach to a significant issue facing the criminal justice system in the United States. Students will complete an in-depth analysis of a topic area relevant to the study of Criminal Justice that is to be undertaken at the end of their coursework in the program. This course will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis.
Six courses (18 hours) are required from the 5000 course level, all courses will not be available each start. You must work with your advisor to plan accordingly.
CRIJ 5315: Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This is a comparative study of criminal justice systems in the United States and selected foreign countries. The comparisons will include countries from some or all of the following areas: Latin America, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia and the Middle East.
CRIJ 5325: Seminar in Corrections
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course examines all dimensions of corrections, including institutional and community correctional organizations. Prisons and jails are featured, together with a variety of institutional and community programs operating to meet the diverse needs of inmates who eventually seek reentry into society. In addition, the types of rehabilitative and integrative programming for all types of correctional clients, including probationers, parolees, and divertees are discussed. The functions and operations of all types of correctional organizations are examined, including their historical development and evolution. Also, several important contemporary correctional issues are presented and examined.
CRIJ 5326: Seminar on Police Practices
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course examines the historical roots of contemporary policing, including police professionalism, recruitment and training, certification, and police organizations and operations. Study focuses upon selected police issues, including misconduct and corruption, codes of conduct, community policing, patrol variations and styles, internal affairs, the police personality, and theories of police behavior. Several important law enforcement issues are examined.
CRIJ 5327: Advanced Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to hone both the statistical vocabulary and techniques important to criminal justice system personnel and researchers. This course is designed to introduce graduate students to a wide range of statistical analyses that include univariate, bivariate, multivariate and inferential techniques. Course materials deal with both the mathematical and practical applications of statistics and evaluating the statistical analysis in the research. This class will also provide students with a working knowledge of SPSS and R.
CRIJ 5335: Ethics of Criminal Justice
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Explores the fundamental concept of fairness throughout the criminal justice system. It examines situations, dilemmas, and problems encountered by persons in all criminal justice agencies and organizations as they go about their day-to-day activities.
CRIJ 5337: Crime and Crij after Disasters
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course will explore the occurrence of crime in the wake of both natural disasters and the criminal justice response to post-disaster crime. It will challenge students to define disaster, to appreciate the methodological difficulties of measuring crime in the wake of disasters, to determine the utility of various theories of crime in explaining post-disaster crime and to understand how the criminal justice response to crime in the wake of disasters is similar to and different from the criminal justice response in non-disaster conditions. This course will be useful for both criminal justice students and practitioners.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
White-collar crime provides an overview of the conceptual origins of this unique crime-type. From its introduction as a term given in a speech to the American Sociological Association in 1940 as trust violations to the expanded emphases on corporate, financial, and even political crime, this class examines the evolution and utility of the term white-collar crime. Additionally, this course examines the etiology of white-collar crime and the breadth of research in this specialized area of criminology.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Students will analyze various forms of cybercrime and discern how various theories of crime relate to the various modalities of cybercrime and victimization.
