MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Purpose
The Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice provides a foundation in five areas:
- The Criminal Justice System
- Crime Theory
- Research Methods
- Comparative Criminal Justice
- Constitutional Criminal Law
Student Learning Outcomes
- Ascertain knowledge in the core criminal justice components.
- Develop knowledge in crime theory.
- Develop knowledge in administration of criminal justice agencies and departments.
- Understand legal issues surrounding the criminal justice network.
- Develop an understanding of research methods in criminal justice.
- Be prepared to assume management roles within agencies and departments.
- Be prepared to assume post masters degree education.
- Thesis - Students who choose the thesis option complete 30 hours of coursework and remaining 6 hours will be used to complete the thesis. A criminal justice faculty member selected by the student will serve as the thesis committee chair. The committee will be comprised of at least three (3) criminal justice faculty (including the chair) and one outside faculty member selected by the student. The chair will be responsible for assisting the student with organization and research methodology and for ensuring that the thesis is ready for presentation. Thesis format guidelines are available on the Graduate College web page. The completed thesis will be presented and defended orally before the committee. Once approved, a copy must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate College for approval at least one month prior to the end of the semester in which the student expects to complete degree requirements Four copies of the thesis will be provided and distributed to the NSU Library, the Dean of the Graduate College, the Criminology, Justice Studies, and Global Security departmental library at the Broken Arrow campus, and the thesis committee chair.
- Capstone - The capstone course should be completed during the last semester of coursework.
Criminal Justice, M.S.
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program offers thesis and capstone options. The thesis option requires 30 semester class hours and 6 thesis hours. The capstone option requires 36 semester class hours.
Required Courses - 15 hours
Electives Courses - 15-18 hours
(15 hours of electives required for Thesis Option; 18 hours of electives required for Capstone Option.)
- CR J 5043 - Seminar in Qualitative Research and Writing
- CR J 5083 - Computer Forensics, Research, and Cyber Crime
- CR J 5133 - Directed Readings in Criminal Justice
- CR J 5143 - Special Topics in Criminal Justice
- CR J 5193 - Crime Prevention and Control
- CR J 5213 - Issues in Homeland Security
- CR J 5223 - Advanced Criminology
- CR J 5233 - Native American Law & Justice
- CR J 5253 - Crime Policy
- CR J 5283 - Legal Aspects of Criminal Justice Management
- CR J 5293 - Seminar in the Administration of Criminal Justice
- CR J 5343 - Seminar in Juvenile Justice
- CR J 5523 - Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice
- CR J 5553 - Victimology
- CR J 5583 - White Collar Crime
- CR J 5603 - Foundations in Emergency Management
- CR J 5613 - Advanced Emergency Planning & Operations
- CR J 5673 - Critical Response and Recovery
- CR J 5723 - Public Financing, Budgeting & Resources for CR J Leadership
- CR J 5743 - Statistics in Social Sciences
- CR J 5773 - Program Evaluation
- CR J 5793 - Seminar in Technical Writing for CRJ
Select Thesis or Capstone Option
Total - 36 hours
Accelerated B.S. Criminal Justice to M.S. Criminal Justice Degree Pathway
Note: Please refer to Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program for complete information concerning Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Programs. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for bachelor’s degree requirements.
IMPORTANT:
- Students admitted to the Accelerated B.S. Criminal Justice to M.S. Criminal Justice degree program will complete up to 12 hours of graduate level credit to apply toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.
- Students who do not follow the approved degree plan may become ineligible to continue in the accelerated degree program.
- Prior to completing the undergraduate degree, if the undergraduate GPA, graduate GPA and/or overall GPA fall below a 3.00, the student becomes ineligible to continue in the ADP.
- Students may withdraw from an approved accelerated degree pathway. Graduate credit hours completed prior to the student withdrawing or becoming ineligible to continue in the ADP apply toward the undergraduate degree only.
| CR J 4003 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology | CR J 5053 - Criminal Justice Research Methods |
| CR J 4143 - Crime Prevention | CR J 5193 - Crime Prevention and Control |
| CR J 4223 - Criminology | CR J 5033 - Crime Theory |
| CR J 4253 - Juvenile Justice System | CR J 5343 Seminar in Juvenile Justice |
Crime and Society Certificate
Location(s): Online, Tahlequah, Broken Arrow
OSRHE Code: 201
CIP Code: 430103
Certificate Code: 9851
Master of Science in Criminal Justice Embedded Certificate
A graduate certificate in Crime and Society provides a pathway for students to assist the private and public sector in understanding the extent and nature of crime causation, the interaction of race, ethnicity and justice, methods utilized to prevent crime and how to avoid victimization. Individuals employed as victim advocates, loss prevention specialists, counselors, law enforcement, probation and parole and many more will find this 12-credit hour certificate valuable.
At least 25 percent of the coursework applied to this embedded certificate must be satisfactorily completed at NSU.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Examine the intersections between race, ethnicity, and crime.
- Examine the nature and extent of white collar crime.
- Examine the predictors and effects of victimization.
- Examine models and theories of criminal behavior.
Certificate Total - 12 hours
Required Courses
Complete the following required courses
Select 6 hours from the following
Criminal Justice Leadership and Administration Certificate
Location(s): Online, Tahlequah, Broken Arrow
OSRHE Program Code: 202
CIP Code: 430103
Certificate Code: 9852
Master of Science in Criminal Justice Embedded Certificate
A graduate certificate in Criminal Justice Leadership and Administration provides a pathway for students to assume managerial and leadership positions in all levels of the public sector which includes local, state, federal and tribal (law enforcement, courts, and corrections). This 12-credit hour certificate is designed for students seeking a knowledge base in criminal justice administration, personnel management, finance and budgeting, and the methods and procedures to evaluate criminal justice programs.
At least 25 percent of the coursework applied to this embedded certificate must be satisfactorily completed at NSU.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Interpret and design policy for agencies and organizations.
- Evaluate case briefs impacting agencies and organizations.
- Design organizational charts, allocate resources, and budgets.
- Evaluate programs across local, state, and federal levels.
Required Courses - 12 hours
Planning, Resilience, and Incident Management
Location(s): Online, Tahlequah, Broken Arrow
OSRHE Program Code: 211
CIP Code: 430302
Certificate Code: 9714
Criminal Justice, M.S. Embedded Certificate
A graduate certificate in Planning, Resilience and Incident Management provides a pathway for students to assist the private and public sector in understanding the issues and challenges facing homeland security. Students develop a foundation of the emergency management field which includes operations and planning. Last, students ascertain knowledge that provides the necessary skills during critical response and recovery. Students who earn the certificate qualify to apply for (but are not limited to) the following job/career opportunities: emergency manager for local government and tribal nations; emergency operations planner for local government, tribal nations, and private sector; business owner specializing in emergency planning, business continuity specialist (COOP), consultant, and disaster response and recovery contract employee; environmental emergency management specialist (emergency management planning and director for private sector businesses such as oil, gas, Walmart, Walgreens, etc.), etc.
At least 24 percent of the coursework applied to this embedded certificate must be satisfactorily completed at NSU.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Understand issues in homeland security
- Develop a foundation in emergency management.
- Understand planning and operations in emergency management.
- Understand the nature and function of critical response and recovery.
Required Courses - 6 hrs
Electives - 6 hrs
Select 6 hours from the course list below.
Total = 12 hrs
Degree Available At
- Broken Arrow
- Online
Starting Your NSU Journey?
Make your transition to NSU as smooth and seamless as possible.
Visit our Graduate College Checklist for more information.
Career Services
What Can I Do with a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice?
Program Chair:
Dr. James Hurst
Assistant Professor
Criminal Justice
Program Requirements
- 2.5 GPA
- 2.75 GPA in last 60 hours
- Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice or related field preferred
Application Deadline
- Open Year Round
*Fees include: facility fee, student activity fee, infrastructure fee, cultural/scholastic lecturer fee, student ID fee, technology services fee and remedial course fee, if applicable. NSU courses taught at off campus locations or online might have additional fees assessed. These totals are tuition and fee estimations per program based on the current catalog year. Books, supplies and some fees may not be included.
Minority Students
$48,195,863
Total Aid Disbursed in 2020-2021
1,471
Bachelors Degrees Awarded Last Year
