M.S. in Criminal Justice
A Master of Science in Criminal Justice will shape you into the hero your community needs.
With the M.S. in Criminal Justice, you can learn the ins and outs of the criminal justice system. Get trained through an interdisciplinary focus in an online environment needed. Discover your niche through our core curriculum and specialty concentrations. Whether you are looking to get promoted, sharpen critical skills within the field, or make a career shift in a rewarding profession, the NSU edge will give you the tools to stand out as a leader and make the world a safer place.
We proudly offer the Valor Award 20% Scholarship for law enforcement officials, veterans, military and first responders.
Delivery Options
Coursework for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice is conducted entirely online, allowing you to earn your degree without work disruption or long commutes.
Concentration Tracks
- Legal Perspectives
- Behavioral Science
- Business Administration
- Public Administration
- Substance Abuse
- Strategic Community Planning
- Information Systems
- Conflict & Crisis Management
- Child Protection and Juvenile Justice
- Information Security
- Investigative Forensic Technology
- Emergency Preparedness Leadership
Who Should Apply
Individuals seeking careers in:
- Police Officer
- County Sheriff/Deputy Sheriff
- State Trooper/Highway Patrol Officer
- Canine Officer/K9 Handler
- Game Warden/Conservation Officer
- Animal Cruelty Investigator
- Park Ranger
- Detective
- Correctional Officer
- Correctional Counselor
- Parole Officer
- Legal Assistant or Legal Researcher
- Bailiff
- Pretrial Officer
- Loss Prevention Officer/Loss Prevention Manager
- Bounty Hunter/Bail Enforcement Agent
- Public Safety Officer
- Community Liaison
- Detective
- FBI Special Agent
- DEA Agent
- Secret Service Special Agent
- ICE Special Agent
- Federal Air Marshall
Curriculum
This master's program comprises 30 credits: 15 credits (5 courses) of core curriculum, 12 credits (4 courses) of a specialty concentration, and 3 elective credits (one course).
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CJI 0510 | Survey Issues in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJI 0520 | Social Administration in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJI 0530 | Legal Issues in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJI 0540 | Program Evaluation in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJI 0550 | Investigative Processes | 3 |
Legal Perspectives
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialized training in the fundamentals of criminal law and procedure, criminal evidence and legal writing for the non-lawyer. It will also provide specific training regarding procedural and legal issues that affect the criminal justice system. It will offer an in-depth knowledge of criminal law and enable the criminal justice professional to interface with lawyers regarding legal issues that may arise during the criminal investigation. Consequently, the concentration will provide knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, and related organizations and who are required to have a working knowledge of the theory and application of criminal law
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CJI 6110 | Criminal Evidence | 3 |
| CJI 6120 | Advanced Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| CJI 6130 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJI 6140 | Legal Research Methods & Reasoning | 3 |
| CJI 6150 | Selected Issues in Forensic and Social Science | 3 |
Behavioral Science
(Offered through the College of Psychology)
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialization training in the behavioral science issues, providing knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 695 | Law Enforcement and the Mentally Disordered Offender | 3 |
| PSY 694/PSY 0920 | Police Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 693/PSY 0913 | Behavioral Criminology | 3 |
| PSY 692 | Police Stress and Mental Health | 3 |
| PSY 691 | Forensic Psychology | 3 |
Business Administration
(Offered through the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship)
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialization training in the issues of business administration, providing knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| MGT 5380 | Building and Leading Teams | 3 |
| MGT 5631 | Leading People and Organizations | 3 |
| MKT 5125 | Marketing Decisions for Managers | 3 |
| HRM 5310 | Managing Human Resources | 3 |
Public Administration
(Offered through the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship)
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialization training in the issues of public administration, providing knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| PUB 5439 | Administrative Law & Ethics in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PUB 5409 | Public Administration in Theory & Application | 3 |
| HRM 5310 | Managing Human Resources | 3 |
| PUB 5438 | Public and Non-Profit Strategic Management | 3 |
Substance Abuse
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialization training in the issues of substance abuse, providing knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CJI 6510 | Psychopharmacology of Illicit and Licit Drugs | 3 |
| CJI 6520 | Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJI 6530 | Substance Abuse Treatment in the Community | 3 |
| CJI 6540 | Cultural Factors in Treatment Associated with Substance Abuse Issues and the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJI 6550 | Special Topics in Substance Abuse Services & The CJ System | 3 |
Strategic Community Planning
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CARM 5040 | Communication Dynamics in Dispute Resolution: The Human Factor | 3 |
| CARM 6638 | Conflict and Crisis Management Theory & Practice | 3 |
| CARM 6610 | Family Violence: The Effects on Families, Communities and Workplaces | 3 |
| CARM 6619 | Strategic Community Planning and Partnerships | 3 |
| CARM 6611 | Race and Ethnic Relations in America | 3 |
| CARM 6634 | Metropolitan Conflict | 3 |
Information Systems
(Offered through the College of Computing and Engineering)
Concentration Description:
This concentration will focus on the application of technological concepts of information systems to the collection, retention, and dissemination of information for management planning and decision making.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| ISEC 0635 | Information Security Operations Management | 3 |
| MMIS 0623 | Ethics in Computing | 3 |
| MSIT 0630 | Database Systems | 3 |
| MMIS 653 | Telecommunication and Computer Networking | 3 |
Conflict & Crisis Management
(Offered through the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences)
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialization training in law enforcement conflict and crisis management, emphasizing nonviolent, negotiation-oriented approaches to both individual and organizational responses to hostage/barricade and other crisis situations. The concentration will provide knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, and related organizations.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CARM 6170 | Violence Prevention and Intervention | 3 |
| CARM 5040 | Communication Dynamics in Dispute Resolution: The Human Factor | 3 |
| CARM 6641 | Conflict & Crisis Negotiation | 3 |
| CARM 6638 | Conflict and Crisis Management | 3 |
Child Protection and Juvenile Justice
Concentration Description:
This concentration is designed to meet the specific need of child protective workers, law enforcement officers, child advocates, school resource officers, community mental health workers, school police, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Children and Family Services, and others.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CJI 6910 | Theory of Child Protection, Investigation, and Advocacy | 3 |
| CJI 6920 | Juvenile Justice: Systems, Structure, and Process | 3 |
| CJI 6930 | Family Dynamics: Motivation, Support and Communication | 3 |
| CJI 6940 | Victimology: Child Abuse and Exploited Children | 3 |
| CJI 6950 | Safe Schools: Climate and Culture | 3 |
Information Security
(Offered through the College of Computing and Engineering)
Concentration Description:
This concentration will focus on the rapidly growing global problems of maintaining and securing computer information. Important areas addressed include threats and vulnerabilities, cryptography, authentication and access control, security models, network security, trusted computer systems, distributed systems security, World Wide Web security, applications security, and security management and policies.
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| ISEC 0615 | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity | 3 |
| ISEC 0635 | Information Security Operations Management (Prerequisites: ISEC 0615) | 3 |
| ISEC 0655 | Information Security Governance | 3 |
| ISEC 0675 | Information Systems Auditing (Prerequisites: ISEC 0615 and ISEC 0635 or ISEC 0655) | 3 |
| ISEC 0695 | Information Security Management Project (Prerequisites: ISEC 0615 or MMIS 0683, ISEC 0635 or MMIS 0684, ISEC 0655 or MMIS 0685, ISEC 0675) | 3 |
Investigative Forensic Technology
Concentration Description:
This concentration will provide specialization training in the burgeoning field of forensic investigation. Students will be exposed to investigative and analysis techniques used during criminal investigations
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CJI 6111 | Firearm, Fingerprints and Other Impression Evidence | 3 |
| CJI 6112 | Forensic Analysis of Trace and Drug Evidence | 3 |
| CJI 6113 | Crime Scene | 3 |
| CJI 6114 | DNA Technology | 3 |
| CJI 6115 | Overview of Crime Laboratory Management | 3 |
Emergency Preparedness Leadership
(Offered through the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine)
| COURSE NUMBER | COURSE TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| DEM 5050 | All-Hazard Prep | 3 |
| DEM 5090 | Weapons & Communicable Diseases (Prereq: DEM 5050) | 3 |
| DEM 6423 | Interagency Disaster Communication (prereq: DEM 5050) | 3 |
| DEM 6424 | Community Disaster Preparedness (prereq: DEM 5050) | 3 |
| CJI 6125 | Special Topics in All-Hazards Preparedness (prereq: DEM 5050) | 3 |
Students must choose one or a combination of electives below to obtain a minimum of 3 credit hours:
- One, three (3) credit class
Students may choose any two three credit courses within their degree program, excluding the required courses, and apply those credits toward the electives requirement.
- Practicum Placement (3 credits)
This practicum will provide the Master of Science in Criminal Justice student with first-hand experience working within the field. During the semester, students will have the opportunity to observe various entities within a department or agency. S/he will engage in direct activity while assigned to Master of Science in Criminal Justice practicum. Direct activity includes but is not limited to observation of role model, attending lectures, and performing assigned duties.
- Master's Thesis (6 credits)
Work with NSU faculty member creating your own research project.
Application Requirements
To ensure that your application is complete, please use the checklist below and follow the detailed instructions provided for each item. All documents that are submitted to the University will need to include your name on each page.
- Complete online application form.
- Application fee of $50 (in U.S. dollars) made payable to Nova Southeastern University will be charged for each application submitted.
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher or a master's degree with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
- Submit two letters of recommendation from current professors, employers, supervisors, or similar people most familiar with your professional experience. Letters of recommendation must be less than one year old.
-
Official transcripts from all colleges or universities you attended are required. All applicants must hold a baccalaureate from a regionally accredited institution. Official electronic transcripts can be sent to electronictranscript@nova.edu or mailed to the address below:
Applicants who have attended foreign universities or colleges are required to have their academic credentials evaluated for U.S. institutional equivalence. Please visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for more information. International students are encouraged to contact the Office of International Student Services at (954) 262-7240 or 800-541-6682, ext. 27240, or by email at intl@nova.edu, or visit the Office of International Students and Scholars.
- Provide a personal statement of between 150 and 300 words indicating your goals in pursuing a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. This statement must be attached to the application.
Please Mail Items To
Nova Southeastern University
Enrollment Processing Services
Attn: Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
3301 College Avenue P.O. Box 299000
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33329-9905
If you have any questions about the admissions process, call (954) 262-8500 / 800-986-3223, 28500, or email eduinfo@nova.edu.
Deadlines
| term offered | preferred admissions deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall | August 1 |
| Winter | December 10 |
| Summer | April 20 |
Please watch our own Dr. Grace Telesco discuss important and supportive information for all of us in staying vigilant for children and families during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Criminal Justice Facebook Live Chats
Dr. Marcelo Castro, Associate Dean of the School of Criminal Justice
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