The Best Graduate Schools Offering Criminal Justice Programs
Higher Education Articles December 10, 2016Overview of top Graduate Schools offering Criminal Justice Programs
Enrollees in graduate criminal justice programs learn about the methods and systems governments employ in providing consequences for lawbreakers. The State University of New York at Albany and the University of Maryland – College Park are among the best schools in the United States with master’s and doctoral degree programs in criminal justice. In this article, we take a look at some top criminal justice graduate schools in the United States that are ranked highly by the U.S. News and World Report and that offer many concentration areas for students.
University of Maryland – College Park
In 2007, the U.S. News and World Report ranked the University of Maryland – College Park in the top position on its list of best criminal justice graduate programs. The focus of the university’s program is on offense and dereliction, law enforcement, courts, criminology, and justice for juveniles. Both a professional master’s degree and a traditional Master of Arts (M.A.) in Criminology and Criminal Justice are available at the school; in the former, students enjoy the option of studying abroad in China. Doctoral level programs at the UMCP include a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Criminology and Criminal Justice. UMCP also collaborates with the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore to offer a joint Master of Arts/Juris Doctor (M.A./J.D.) program. Students enrolled in this program can earn both degrees in four years.
State University of New York at Albany
In 2010, the U.S. News and World Report ranked the State University of New York at Albany second on its list of best criminal justice graduate programs. An MA and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice are available at the school, in addition to an MA/Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program. The school targets the dual master’s degree program for students interested in research and policy, apart from the field of human services.
Thirty credits are required to be completed for the MA degree while 60 credits are necessary for the Ph.D. program. An information technology concentration is available in both programs, whereby the practical and statistical knowledge provided in more general criminal justice courses may find an emphasis.
