The northern region of the US hosts 10 graduate schools in criminology. Five of these schools rank in the top 10, including the University of Maryland, College Park; the University at Albany, SUNY; Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Rutgers (the State University of New Jersey, Newark) and CUNY, John Jay College. Other options are the Temple University, Northeastern University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Delaware and American University in Washington, DC. The University of Maryland offers a two-year Master's program, requiring a thesis. Alternatively, students can complete a joint Master's./Jourist Doctorate (J.D.) degree through the University of Maryland Law School.
The Midwest offers six schools, with three of them, namely, the University of Cincinnati; the University of Missouri,St. Louis and Michigan State University ranking in the top 10. In addition, the University of Nebraska, Omaha; the University of Illinois, Chicago and Indiana University are other alternatives. At the University of Cincinnati, students complete over 45 hours of coursework and 12 hours in a concentrated area: Administration of Justice, Corrections or Law Enforcement and Crime Prevention.
With four graduate schools in the southern region of the US, Florida presents three solid options: Florida State University in Tallahassee (ranked seventh), the University of Florida in Gainesville and the University of South Florida in Tampa. George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia is another option. Florida State University offers a two-year Master's degree, obtainable on campus or online, and can be combined as a joint degree in public administration or social work. The degree can be earned through a "coursework-only" option or a combination of coursework an "area paper" or thesis.
The West offers four unique and geographically dispersed schools. The University of California, Irvine (ranked fifth) was the only school from this region to make it to the top 10. Other considerations include Arizona State University, Washington State University and Sam Houston State University. The University of California has a structured, two-year Master's program. Students complete 13 required courses, including "Social Problems, Law and Policy", in lieu of writing a thesis.