The Kent State University Master’s in Criminal Justice hero
College of Arts and Sciences

Criminology and Criminal Justice

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Public Service and Personal Satisfaction Go Together with an Online Master’s in Criminal justice

Satisfy your desire for career growth and public service in the complex and high-profile fields of global security, policing or victimology. Kent State University’s interdisciplinary online Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice will equip you with the social science insights, theoretical frameworks and critical thinking skills to help you safeguard the public and secure your future.

Make a Bigger Impact With a Kent State Online Master’s in Criminal Justice

Criminology and criminal justice are related professions, working in tandem to protect the public. Criminologists study the causes of crime and the effectiveness of prevention efforts, using research to solve social problems and formulate policy. Criminal justice professionals focus more on practice: implementing policy and managing crime prevention programs.

Prepare for a Top-Level Career in Policy or Practice

Kent State’s online master’s in criminology and criminal justice offers a unique blend of theoretical and applied learning that helps you create a top-level career in policy or practice.

The knowledge and perspective gained through our advanced degree program will help you thrive in your chosen field. The degree may also be required for employment or promotion at many organizations.

Take a big step toward your next career move with a Kent State master’s in criminal justice.

The work of those in the profession of criminal justice is becoming increasingly complex, demanding the ability to think critically, interact well with those you serve, and be capable of understanding complex and quickly changing situations.
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Allen Lowery, Adjunct Professor
Law enforcement veteran with a Ph.D. in psychology
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Our Commitment to Your Success Shows in Our Ratings

The Military Friendly® designation indicates a school’s commitment to serving members of the extended military community, including active service members, spouses and veterans.1 Kent State’s gold status places us among the highest-ranked schools in our category. Job placement, graduation and retention rates are factored into the ranking based on public and proprietary data and personal opinion surveys of veterans.
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Our Commitment to Your Success Shows in Our Ratings

Recent alumni, motivated by the desire to advance and thrive in public service careers, unanimously gave our online master’s in criminal justice and criminology ratings of satisfied or highly satisfied. The knowledge and connections you can gain through our program will help you thrive too.
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Get Ready for a Satisfying Career. Keep Living Your Life.

Our rigorous and respected program is designed to fit in with your real-world responsibilities, including work and family obligations. Finish your degree in as little as two years, taking just two 7-week classes each semester.

A career in criminal justice is a good fit if you are:
  • Analytical
  • Career-oriented
  • Committed to justice
  • Enterprising
  • Ethical
  • Interested in human behavior
  • A skilled communicator3, 4
Skip the GRE. Just Bring Your Best Self.

Our admissions process is focused on your work and goals, not on a test score. You only need to tell us about your education and your plans for the future. Then document your work with transcripts and references in our straightforward application process. The affordable $45 application fee is less than the cost of a dinner out. An Admissions Outreach Advisor will be happy to help you with your application.

Advance your public or private-sector global security career with core knowledge of intelligence, strategy and policy topics.

Online MA graduates who have concentrated in Global Security have gone on to pursue roles that include:

  • U.S. Border Patrol Agent
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent
  • Drug Enforcement Administration Agent
  • U.S. Marshal
  • Special Agent
  • Security Analyst
  • Policymaker
Become a force for restorative justice through a comprehensive study of crime victims, their treatment and their rights.

Our MA graduates who have concentrated in Victimology have gone on to pursue roles that include:

  • Criminal Profiler
  • Law Enforcement Agent
  • Crime Analyst
  • Victim Advocate
  • Criminal Investigator
Formulate research-backed theoretical frameworks for managing policing organizations and responding to emerging issues.
Graduates of the online MA program who concentrated in Policing have been successful in the following careers:
  • Police Officer
  • Deputy Sheriff
  • State Trooper
  • Correctional Officer
  • Highway Patrol
  • Private Security
This dynamic field evolves with society and technology, while the demand for highly skilled workers remains strong.
Build Your Career with a Degree Built Around You
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A phone call with one of our Admissions Outreach Advisors will make it even easier, call +1 330-672-8671
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Related Reading About Criminology & Criminal Justice from the Kent State Online Blog

Check out one of our featured blog posts below
It’s in headlines wherever you look: the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial. Whether you’re tuning into television news, opening a paper or news app or checking your Twitter, or even scrolling on TikTok, it also seems like everyone has an opinion to share or is at least excited to participate in the thrill of watching it unfold.
The question, “Do prisons have air conditioning?” isn’t something that the public would typically ask, but it’s an important topic for those interested in criminology and the criminal justice system to consider. The treatment of prisoners is paramount, as it affects multiple, diverse aspects of incarceration.

Sources

1. Retrieved on April 10, 2023, from militaryfriendly.com/faqs/
2. Based on a limited sample of self-reported data from Kent State alumni from graduating cohorts between 2016-2020.
3. Retrieved on May 5, 2022, from onetonline.org/link/summary/33-3021.06
4. Retrieved on May 5, 2022, from onetonline.org/link/summary/33-3021.00

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