Criminal Justice Masters Programs

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by boops7000, Aug 8, 2005.

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  1. boops7000

    boops7000 New Member

    I know I have seen a thread on this but I guess it was too old to come up on a search, so I am wondering what are the best criminal justice programs for obtaining a masters? I am looking for the most well-regarded schools ... I want to teach and would like the best. Also, do you think it would be better to attend one of these schools vs. a local school with a traditional program (I am considering the UNiv. of Ill at Chicago).

    ThankS!
     
  2. Tom H.

    Tom H. New Member

  3. abnrgr275

    abnrgr275 Member

    Here's a link to the most recent USNWR article that talks about graduate CJ programs along with the 2005 rankings:

    http://www.uc.edu/criminaljustice/GradProgramarticle.pdf

    Out of the programs ranked by USNWR, the University of Cincinnati, University of California-Irvine, Michigan State University, and Florida State University offer master's degrees in criminal justice/criminology. I believe FSU offers a tuition discount now to out-of-state students and may be the most affordable option of the bunch.

    I've taken 3 graduate courses online with the University of Cincinnati; they are expensive at $1,000 + per 3 quarter hour class, with each class lasting only 5 weeks in duration. The benefit to taking classes at UC were the top-notch faculty instructing in the program and the accelerated format of the courses, however with my current work schedule the 5-week courses required too much work in the short amount of time alloted and I ultimately stopped taking courses there. Another downside to the UC degree program is that the required courses are only offered once every two years, so if you miss a course you are SOL. A former co-worker of mine completed an MSCJ at Michigan State and spoke very highly of their program.

    You can't go wrong with any of the online programs offered by the highest-ranked CJ departments, but UIC is a good school and may offer what you're looking for at a cheaper price than the online options mentioned in the article.

    Also, you may want to look into lower-priced CJ graduate degree programs from other schools not on the USNWR list. There are several out there and if you are looking at working towards a Ph.D. in CJ at a later date it may be more beneficial to get a cheaper MS at a lower-ranked school and then try to get into one of the ranked CJ doctoral programs down the road.

    abnrgr275
     
  4. tomC

    tomC New Member

    Criminal Justice Masters Degree

    If you would want to earn your degree through DL try looking at Columbia Southern University, It's a good program.
    I have been in law enforcement a long time and have found CSU to have a good program.

    Good Luck
    TomC.
     
  5. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I don't know how much faith I have in the USNWR rankings. For instance, they rank Northeastern University's doctoral program at #14, but it's only in its second year of existence, and hasn't graduated anyone yet.

    I think a better gauge of graduate programs is the Guide to Graduate Programs in Criminal Justice and Criminology, published by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. It seems to be sold-out a lot, but it's worth getting a copy.
     
  6. abnrgr275

    abnrgr275 Member

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