Vision Statement
Through strategic partnerships with local and federal law enforcement agencies, courts, correctional facilities, community organizations, research institutions, and public entities, the UT Southern Criminal Justice Programs will produce strong leaders, educated advocates, and socially aware researchers. The graduates of the program will be active in the local, national, and global community. Alumni of the program will become mentors to currents students and agents of change, activism, or support to those in need.
Mission Statement
The Criminal Justice Program’s mission is to prepare and empower candidates for careers in and related to criminal justice, to educate students in policy, social issues, and leadership. We graduate leaders that inspire and train others to become leaders.
The online hybrid Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice has been designed to prepare students either for advancement in justice-related professions, particularly as administrative- and management-level officers in law enforcement or as homeland security professionals, or for advanced study in doctoral or legal programs. The degree program provides candidates both with an in-depth understanding of management issues in criminal justice agencies and also with the requisite analytical skills and theoretical knowledge for doctoral or legal studies.
The 11-course, 33-credit hour program can be completed in four semesters (fall, spring, summer, fall). Students will take core courses emphasizing four foundational areas:
- trends in criminal justice,
- policy development and analysis,
- ethics in criminal justice.
In addition, through their elective courses students will have the opportunity for a concentration in either Homeland Security or Strategic Management. Understanding derived from core and elective courses will provide graduates with a solid foundation for dealing with the many critical issues confronting the contemporary criminal justice administrator.
Specifically, candidates who complete the master’s degree in Criminal Justice will be able to demonstrate:
- Advanced knowledge and ability to evaluate criminological and criminal justice theories and their implications for public policy and practice.
- Proficiency in research design and quantitative and qualitative analysis related to evaluation of criminal justice practices, programs, and policies, and the understanding of crime causation generally.
- Competence sufficient to evaluate and resolve the ethical issues in criminal justice practice, policy, and research.
- An ability to synthesize, evaluate, recognize implications, and communicate effectively using scholarly sources of information connected to crime theory and policy.
- An understanding of leadership theories and skills as they pertain to managing and leading criminal justice organizations.
Graduates of the program will be able to identify problems, to develop solutions through the application of criminological theories and policies to varied social issues that contribute to crime, and to implement these solutions within a variety of justice-related agencies.
Structure of the Graduate Program in Criminal Justice
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice is a 33-credit hour program consisting of 11 courses (with the Homeland Security concentration) or 13 courses (with the Strategic Management concentration). Students take six core courses and two elective courses, plus the concentration. Courses in the Strategic Management concentration are offered through the University's Master of Business Administration program.
Courses are offered either in a hybrid format or completely online. In the hybrid format, candidates may attend classes face-to-face on the campus in Pulaski, or they may attend class virtually. Each hybrid course is broadcast live so that students attending virtually can in real time see, hear, and participate in the class sessions. Each session is recorded also, so that students can as necessary review recorded sessions.
To complete the degree in four semesters, students would average 9 semester credit hours per semester, generally three courses (two 8-week courses and one 16-week course). During one semester, students could take only 6 semester credit hours, depending on their choice of the two electives.
Program Sequence for Homeland Security Concentration
Program Sequence for Strategic Management Concentration