Curriculum: Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Next Term Application Deadline

04.16.2025

Total Credits

Next Term Starts

05.12.2025

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Curriculum at a Glance

The comprehensive curriculum is designed to help you understand the conceptual and theoretical frameworks that inform the study of crime and criminal justice, assess problems through a rigorous research approach and conduct high-level policy analysis. The program will also help you to stay ahead of current trends in the areas of corrections, policing and criminology. Many graduates of our online Master’s in Criminal Justice degree program pursue careers in research and university settings or assume leadership roles in the criminal justice system.

Program Highlights

Ten total courses (30 semester hours) taught 100% online
Graduate in as few as two years of dedicated part-time study or one year of full-time study
Six enrollment periods each year: 2 fall, 2 spring, 2 summer
Curriculum combines cutting-edge theory with real-world application

Concentrations

UC’s online Master’s in Criminal Justice degree program offers four distinct concentrations so you can pursue a general track or focus your degree in an area of criminal justice that is most relevant to you. Our innovative courses are constantly updated to teach students the immediately relevant information that is most important today.

Analysis of Criminal Behavior
Crime Analysis and Prevention
Correctional Rehabilitation
Administration & Leadership

Accreditation

The University of Cincinnati and all of its regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Related Degrees & Programs

In addition to our online Master of Science in Criminal Justice degree, the University of Cincinnati also offers a BS in Criminal Justice and four Criminal Justice certificate programs.

CURRICULUM AT A GLANCE

Criminal Justice Core Requirements Topical Area: Administration & Leadership Topical Area: Correctional Rehabilitation Topical Area: Analysis of Criminal Behavior Topical Area: Crime Analysis and Prevention Directed Electives

Course	Title / Description	Credit
CJ7010	Seminar in Criminal Justice Course: CJ7010 Credit: 3 This class is a graduate level introduction to thecriminal justice system. Focusing on three themes;due process vs. crime control, discretion, and thesystem nature of criminal justice, students investigate the structure and operations of the criminal justice system in the United States. The class specifically explores the flow of cases across various decision points from the police, through criminal courts, to corrections.	3
CJ7020	Seminar in Criminology Course: CJ7020 Credit: 3 This course provides an introduction to and critical analysis of major criminological theories, including theories from the bio-social, life course, strain, control, learning, labelling,rational choice, routine activities, feminist, andcritical theory perspectives. The emphasis is on understanding the logical structure of these theories as well as their respective strengths andweaknesses. Special attention is devoted to the life course and bio-social perspectives.	3
CJ7098	Demonstration Project 1 Course: CJ7098 Credit: 3 This section is for graduate students not taking the comprehensive examination. Approval must be obtained by a sponsoring faculty member who agreesto supervise the process.	3
CJ7041	Basic Research Methods in Criminal Justice Course: CJ7041 Credit: 3 This course is designed to provide master's level students with a broad introduction to different methods that researchers, evaluators, and practitioners use to create new knowledge, understand and criticize research, evaluate programs and policies, develop policy, and participate in social, political, criminological, and economic debates and discussions. These "tools" will be a bonus to whatever the student's career goals are because the ability to THINK (what) and SOLVE PROBLEMS (how and why) in a systematic, yet creative, fashion are valuable job market skills, especially given our international economy and global competition. In addition, these tools will also help you to design, execute, and review research or evaluation studies that are required in your respective current or next job (or promotion).	3
CJ7040	Applied Statistics in Criminal Justice Course: CJ7040 Credit: 3 This course will introduce the statistical techniques used in the social sciences, including criminology and criminal justice, with emphasis placed on interpretation of results and computer applications. The course will include learning thelogic of, and how to calculate, different statistical techniques.	3

Course	Title / Description	Credit
CJ7012	Criminal Justice Policy Analysis Course: CJ7012 Credit: 3 This course explores how crime reduction policies influence crime rates in the United States and examines how an analyst can determine policy effectiveness. Students study a variety of policy and social influences on crime in the US and in other countries. A strong emphasis is placed on quantitative assessment of city, state, national, and international data.	3
CJ7013	Criminal Justice Management Course: CJ7013 Credit: 3 The criminal justice system is a collection of loose-knit agencies. Each agency has a set of goals and operating strategies. Effective management of these agencies is complex. This course introduces students to organizational and management theory with a focus on elements of effective leadership.	3
	Directed Electives Course: Credit: 9 Students must complete 9 credit hours from the list of electives.	9

Students may select this Topical Area to focus on correctional rehabilitation.

Course	Title / Description	Credit
CJ7060	Correctional Theory and Policy Course: CJ7060 Credit: 3 This course examines the evolution of correctionaltheory, its impact on policy, and its empirical status. An emphasis is placed on the use of evidence-based knowledge to shape correctional policy and practice.	3
CJ8060	Seminar in Correctional Rehabilitation Course: CJ8060 Credit: 3 This course examines the theories, techniques, andpolicies of correctional treatment, with a focus on behavioral and cognitive behavioral approaches and various models of family therapy. Interventions for special populations (women offenders, substance abusers, sex offenders and the mentally ill) are also discussed. The course also examines varied models of correctional assessment, including classification, and risk andneeds assessments.	3
CJ8062	Seminar in Community Corrections Course: CJ8062 Credit: 3 This course is designed to provide an in depth review of various criminal justice programs found under the term "community corrections." Emphasis will be placed on developing theoretical models todistinguish what constitutes community corrections, and how various program types have been evaluated for effectiveness. Included will bea review of the critical elements of effective community based programs; design, offender assessment, supervision strategies, progamming andinterventions, and program fidelity.	3
	Faculty Approved Elective Course: Credit: 6 Student may select 6 additional credit hours of criminal justice electives with faculty approval. Please note: A maximum number of 3 one credit hour courses may be applied to degree requirements.	6

Students may select this Topical Area to focus on analysis of criminal behavior.

Course	Title / Description	Credit
CJ8013	Seminar in Juvenile Justice Course: CJ8013 Credit: 3 This seminar course covers the juvenile justice system from arrest to corrections. Related issues on diversion and programmatic treatment will be covered. Contemporary issues in juvenile justice are considered.	3
CJ8028	Biosocial Factors in Serial Offending Course: CJ8028 Credit: 3 This course provides an introduction to the biosocial perspective on criminal offending. The primary goal is to introduce students to the current state of knowledge on biosocial factors that affect human behavior, especially serious, repeated criminal behavior. The course will explain the structures of the brain and their functioning. The literature on behavioral and molecular genetics as it relates to criminal offending and antisocial behavior will be reviewed. The characteristics of psychopathology and the biological and social factors that lead tothis condition will be explored in depth.	3
CJ8072	Seminar in White-Collar Crime Course: CJ8072 Credit: 3 This course provides a detailed examination of white-collar crime. The primary goals are to provide an introduction to the field of white-collar crime and identify the main research issues and directions that currently dominate thisarea of study. The course reviews the history of the field and its relevance to mainstream criminology. It identifies the distinguishing charcteristics of white-collar crime. Selected forms of white-collar crime are investigated. Methods of controlling white-collar crime, including civil, administrative, criminal justice and situational crime prevention techniques, are explored.	3
	Faculty Approved Elective Course: Credit: 6 Student may select 6 additional credit hours of criminal justice electives with faculty approval. Please note: A maximum number of 3 one credit hour courses may be applied to degree requirements.	6

Students may select this Topical Area to focus on crime analysis and prevention.

Course	Title / Description	Credit
CJ7050	Introduction to Crime Mapping Course: CJ7050 Credit: 3 This course is designed to teach the elementary skills and techniques of Geographic Information Science (GIS), with a focus on crime analysis, using ESRI ArcGIS 10.1, or similar software package. ArcGIS is a software platform that is used to apply geography to solving problems and making decisions. In addition to GIS techniques, we will be covering basic data preparation procedures, as well as a brief survey of various types of crime data and how to acquire such data. Topics to be covered will include querying, editing, designing, analyzing, and building map systems utilizing crime data. Analysis techniques will cover both attribute table and spatial data operations such as table relates and joins, spatial aggregation, and buffer analysis.	3
CJ7051	Advanced Crime Analysis Course: CJ7051 Credit: 3 This course teaches students about the practice of crime analysis in law enforcement. Students will learn the terminology, principles, and techniques crime analysts use in everyday practice. A major component of this class is learning how to perform advanced analytical techniques employed by crime analysts using software programs such as ArcGIS 10.3, Excel 2013, and CrimeStat IV, or other versions as appropriate.	3
CJ7070	Theory and Practice of Crime Prevention Course: CJ7070 Credit: 3 This course is designed to provide an exploration of the various approaches to reducing crime as well as the theories that inform those approaches. We will focus most fully on situational approaches to crime prevention, though we will also explore crime prevention through social development, community-based crime prevention. We will also examine how policing intersects with these various approaches to crime prevention.	3
	Faculty Approved Elective Course: Credit: 6 Student may select 6 additional credit hours of criminal justice electives with faculty approval. Please note: A maximum number of 3 one credit hour courses may be applied to degree requirements.	6

Course	Title / Description	Credit
CJ6030	Mentoring and Leadership Course: CJ6030 Credit: 1 In a variety of professions, you may be be called upon to be a mentor or take on a leadership role. Whether this happens formally or informally, it is important to be equipped with a foundational set of skills, knowledge, and self-awareness needed to be successful in this role, ultimately to help support and ensure the success of others. This course provides an overview of responsibilities of mentors and leaders, helps you identify your own unique leadership and mentoring style, and teaches you strategies for working work with others who may have different work styles. It will also provide you tools to help motivate and inspire others, help others to be more productive and fulfilled, and teach you strategies to handle conflict and underperformance effectively. Mentoring and Professional Development is open to anyone who wishes to gain mentorship and leadership skills that can be applied in the workplace, particularly contexts that employ mentoring models (e.g., academia and research) and/or that use team-oriented strategies for projects and tasks. This course is offered over the course of two full-day trainings. There are no prerequisites to take this course.	1
CJ6055	Introduction to Research and Evaluation Course: CJ6055 Credit: 3 Introduction to Research and Evaluation is a full semester course that is designed to expose students to the ins and outs of research and evaluation in the behavioral or social sciences. Students will learn about the core intra-and interpersonal skills and strategies to become a successful and productive research mentee and contributing member of a research team. Students will also receive training across a wide variety of technical skills needed for entry level research work. Students will develop a universal skill set that will prepare them for success across a variety of professional settings—not just research.	3
CJ6056	Advanced Skills in Research and Evaluation Course: CJ6056 Credit: 3 Advanced Skills in Research and Evaluation is a full semester course that is designed to prepare students for working as an advanced research assistant or research professional in the behavioral or social sciences. Students are trained in the basic components of and steps for carrying out a research project or program evaluation and will engage in hands-on application of knowledge and skills across a range of topics including grant writing, requirements and reporting; project budgeting; institutional review board procedures, forms and applications; project design; data security and management; and presenting, report writing, and publishing project findings. Students are required to have completed the Introduction to Research and Evaluation course before they can register for this course.	3
CJ7055	Terrorism and Homeland Security Course: CJ7055 Credit: 3 This course provides an overview of the various components related to an empirical understanding of terrorism. The course will also review the development of homeland security in America as it relates to terrorism and situate this development within various perspectives. Emphasis in this course will be placed on critical assessment of ideologically-based viewpoints of terrorism and homeland security. Scientific empiricism will guide the student's journey of the variety of topics that will be covered in this course.	3
CJ7060	Correctional Theory and Policy Course: CJ7060 Credit: 3 This course examines the evolution of correctionaltheory, its impact on policy, and its empirical status. An emphasis is placed on the use of evidence-based knowledge to shape correctional policy and practice.	3
CJ7070	Theory and Practice of Crime Prevention Course: CJ7070 Credit: 3 This course is designed to provide an exploration of the various approaches to reducing crime as well as the theories that inform those approaches. We will focus most fully on situational approaches to crime prevention, though we will also explore crime prevention through social development, community-based crime prevention. We will also examine how policing intersects with these various approaches to crime prevention.	3
CJ8080	Policing in Context Course: CJ8080 Credit: 3 Policing takes place in a variety of contexts thatinfluence the decisions of police officers and agencies. Two of these contexts are the organization and the community, both of which influence individual officer behavior and the nature and form of policing within a jurisdiction.The first portion of the course introduces students to the social scientific study of U.S. police organizations by exploring the lierature onorganizational goals and general organization theory. The first portion of the course concludes with an examination of the effect of organizationson officer behavior. The second half of the class examines the relationship between crime occurrences, local police, community residents, and communities. The class concludes with an examination of the roles of citizens as both coproducers of public safety and security and as consumers of police services.	3
CJ8081	Seminar in Police Decision-Making Course: CJ8081 Credit: 3 This seminar on policing will explore issues that surround police decision-making in American society. Police discretion has been the object of intensive inquiry since it was "discovered" by researchers in the 1950s. What is police discretion, how and why is it exercised, and how is it controlled? What does the research show regarding the factors that predict police officers' decisions and what questions remain unanswered? How does police behavior influence citizens' perceptions of the legitimacy of the police? Students in this course are expected to learn more about a) the theoretical foundations ofparticular propositions about police behavior, b) the extent of empirical support for those propositions, c) the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies for developing and testingpropositions, and d) the implications of theory and evidence for managerial practice and institutional reform.	3
CJ9002	Criminal Justice Agency Practicum Course: CJ9002 Credit: 3 This course provides professional development and mentoring for students seeking to pursue academic careers in justice-related agencies. Career options include academics conducting applied research in agencies and individuals serving as researchers employed in these private or public agencies. The goal is to provide students with knowledge of these opportunities, how to secure employment and achieve career success, and the skills needed to be a valued research employee.	3
HPE7014	Grant Writing and Resource Development Course: HPE7014 Credit: 3 The purpose of this course is to investigate sources of grant funding at the federal, state, and local level. Another primary purpose is examine grant announcements, RFPs (Request for Proposals), and example grant proposals. Students will also practice developing a grant proposal.	3
HPE7015	Community Organization and Program Management Course: HPE7015 Credit: 3 The purpose of this course is to enable students to 1) utilize effective leadership and management skills to organize communities and to plan, implement, evaluate and manage health promotion and education programs within communities; 2) empower individuals within a community to take action; and 3) develop and maintain coalitions when needed.	3

FAQs

Can I complete the program part-time?

Programs can be completed full-time or part-time. Many programs are set up to be part-time, with most containing fewer than 10 credit hours in any given semester. We know you have a lot going on, so want to make sure that school can fit into your schedule. Note: There are some exceptions.
Will my degree say UC Online?

No. your degree will be conferred by the University of Cincinnati, which will also be reflected on your transcripts and degree.
Is Federal Financial Aid (Title IV) available?
Yes. Many of our students qualify for some type of financial aid.

Sources of aid:
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Military Benefits
- FAFSA
- Scholarships