In the University of Maryland's graduate criminal justice program, you can pursue a master's of arts or doctor of philosophy degree. The student can also choose to attain a joint degree at Maryland's School of Law in Baltimore. The traditional master's degree is intended for mid- and pre-career criminal justice students. The skill set achieved through this program includes analyzing statistical data for crime prevention, reviewing criminological literature to use it to prevent crime and evaluating innovative crime prevention to determine effectiveness. A joint degree at the law school can prepare a student to become a lawyer in addition to traditional criminal justice jobs. This joint degree can be attained in four years, but you must be admitted to each school separately.
The University at Albany--SUNY prides its criminal justice department on being interdisciplinary. Students study political, economic and cultural patterns of crime and crime prevention to see how these facets interact. At Albany's criminal justice graduate school, you can attain a traditional master's, a combined master's and social work M.S.W. and a criminal justice Ph.D. The criminal justice M.A. is required before pursuing the Ph.D. All programs implement research and technical skills required in criminal justice professions. The Albany website notes that members of the New York City police force often enroll in the M.A. program to further their education and skill set.
The graduate criminal justice program at the University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive 16-course curriculum. During this program, students are exposed to criminology, social control, corrections, law enforcement, juvenile justice and the legal system. To put this knowledge to use, students also learn to analyze, challenge and implement research methods, professional writing and policies. Cincinnati says it aims to create informed students that understand the complex workings of the criminal justice system, rather than students who simply repeat or recreate what they learn from a textbook.
At the University of Missouri--St. Louis, students can work to attain a master's and then a doctorate in criminal justice and criminology. To work for a master's, the university requires 33 total credit hours, 21 of which must have been in the field of criminal justice. This program is interdisciplinary and requires students to understand criminal justice material through sociology, psychology, political science and economics. To work for a Ph.D., students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above, have a baccalaureate degree or a plan to complete it by the end of the academic year, and 60 total hours of undergraduate work.