Top Ten Graduate Schools for a Master's Degree in Criminology

University of Maryland at College Park

• Maryland's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice was established in 1969. The top-ranked program offers a traditional master's degree, a professional master's degree, a joint MA/JD degree and a doctoral degree.

  University of Maryland, College Park
  2220 LeFrak Hall
  College Park, MD 20742
  301-405-4699
  www.ccjs.umd.edu/graduate/index.htm

University at Albany, SUNY

• The University at Albany's School of Criminal Justice takes an interdisciplinary approach to education, emphasizing the interaction between various facets of the criminal justice system. The school also offers a concentration in criminal justice information technology.

  University at Albany - SUNY
  135 Western Avenue
  Albany, NY 12222
  518-442-5214
  albany.edu/scj/grad.htm

University of Cincinnati

• The University of Cincinnati's School of Criminal Justice is ranked at the top for research productivity. Its one-year master of science in criminal justice is a stepping-stone for those seeking to enter a doctoral program or seeking higher level positions in the criminal justice field.

  University of Cincinnati
  PO Box 210389
  Cincinnati, OH 45221-0389
  513-556-5827
  criminaljustice.cech.uc.edu/

University of Missouri, St. Louis

• The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UM-St. Louis sees its professors publish their work in top-level journals. It offers a master of arts degree in criminology and criminal justice.

  University of Missouri, St Louis
  1 University Boulevard
  St. Louis, MO 63121-4499
  314-516-5031
  umsl.edu/~ccj/

Pennsylvania State University, University Park

• Penn State's graduate program in Crime, Law and Justice touts its theoretical approach to criminology. For those with a more numbers-based approach, the school offers a certificate in quantitative crime, law and justice.

  Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  211 Oswald Tower
  University Park, PA 16802
  814-865-2527
  sociology.psu.edu/graduate/index.shtml#CRIMProgram

University of California, Irvine

• UC Irvine's Department of Criminology, Law and Society combines two different areas: criminology and socio-legal studies. Its master of advanced studies degree is awarded after the completion of a fully online academic program.

  University of California, Irvine
  2340 Social Ecology II
  Irvine, CA 92697-7080
  949-824-1442
  cls.soceco.uci.edu/

Florida State University

• FSU's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers several joint degree programs, combining the master's degree with degrees in areas like public administration and social work. Admissions officers emphasize that students from diverse majors are welcome to apply.

  Florida State University
  634 W. Call Street
  Tallahassee, FL 32306-1127
  850-644-4050
  criminology.fsu.edu/p/academic-grad.php

Michigan State University

• The School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State is the oldest degree-bearing criminal justice program in the country. The school offers MS degrees in criminal justice, law enforcement intelligence and analysis, and forensic science.

  Michigan State University
  560 Baker Hall
  East Lansing, MI 48824
  517-355-2197
  cj.msu.edu/

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark

• Rutgers' School of Criminal Justice's master's program requires a fieldwork internship that provides pre-professional experience. The program takes advantage of its urban location to provide studies with exposure to real-world situations.

  Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark
  123 Washington Street
  Newark, NJ 07102
  973-353-3029
  newark.rutgers.edu/rscj/index.html

CUNY - John Jay College

• John Jay College's master's program in criminal justice offers classes in fields like cybercrime, crime mapping and terrorism. Students can choose to complete their degree through a thesis or a comprehensive exam.

  CUNY - John Jay College
  899 10th Avenue, Room 636T
  New York, NY 10019
  212-237-8443
  www.jjay.cuny.edu/academics/688.php