Unlock Your Career Potential
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See Courses & Program Info
View a complete list of program courses, program-specific and degree-level requirements, and more.
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This is our recommended course sequence to progress through this program. This sequence incorporates course prerequisites and program requirements but does not list course alternatives that may be available. We recommend you take a maximum of 6 credits per term. You cannot take a prerequisite with its subsequent course during the same session. Your plan will be unique and dependent on multiple factors, including the number of credits you transfer to this program.
Contact an advisor if you have any questions about this plan, course alternatives, or your course load limit.
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General Master's Degree Requirements
- You must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher at all times.
- All degree requirements must be fulfilled within five consecutive years.
- Any transfer credits must have been earned within the above five-year time frame to be applied toward a graduate degree.
- Please review the overall master’s degree requirements for additional considerations.
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Vertical Pathway
If you completed your undergraduate degree at UMGC with coursework in criminal justice, a vertical pathway between UMGC's graduate and undergraduate degree programs in that field allows you to reduce your total coursework for this program by up to 6 credits.
This information is for students who enroll in the 2024–2025 academic year. For prior year requirements for this program or to review UMGC's complete program requirements for a specific academic year, visit our program catalog archive.
Build In-Demand Skills in an Online Program
Gain knowledge and skills that are applicable to leadership and management positions in a variety of organizations in the criminal justice field, such as correctional facilities, police departments, parole and probation agencies, and federal law enforcement agencies. Learn about the ecosystem of criminal justice management; look at criminal justice policy, the justice system, and criminal justice professionals with a wider lens; and gain writing, research, critical thinking, and analytical skills that may help you boost your career potential and be more proactive within the industry.
UMGC’s faculty members and program directors stay up-to-date and refresh the curriculum regularly, with a focus on helping students achieve these learning goals:
60K+
Job Postings
More than 60,000 job postings for police and detectives are projected annually from 2022 to 2032.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | “Occupational Outlook Handbook” | 2023
Top 5
Best Places to Work
The intelligence community ranked no. 3 in the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government employer rankings in 2022 and has ranked top 5 for 11 consecutive years.
Source: Partnership for Public Service & Boston Consulting Group | “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings” | 2022
Practice Real-World Skills in Your Criminal Justice Courses
Throughout your curriculum, your instructors will assign projects that will help you develop and practice in-depth, industry-specific knowledge. In past courses, students have been able to complete the following course projects:
- Analyze data concerning the efficacy of criminal justice programs (like crisis intervention teams), draw conclusions, and report your findings.
- Conduct research on one of the many challenges facing correctional facilities and administrators; develop best practices for dealing with that particular challenge; and report your findings.
- Analyze a use of force incident and assess the appropriateness of the law enforcement officer’s actions, using a framework based on law, public policy, and ethics. In addition, determine the actions of police administrators that must follow, according to best practices.
- Conduct legal research and develop legal guidance for administrators dealing with criminal justice issues such as uses of force, vehicle pursuits, and employee relations challenges.
Explore UMGC Blog Insights
Gain insight from our faculty and staff and delve deeper into a range of topics.
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FAQs
Get answers to questions that current and prospective students are asking about program details, length, cost, and more.
This criminal justice master's concentration can help you learn advanced skills for leadership and collaboration in the field. The criminal justice master's concentration is a 36-credit program that covers topics like crime prevention, law enforcement, investigative forensics, and crisis management. Graduates may be well-prepared for careers in both the public and private sector.
UMGC's online master's degree in management with a concentration in criminal justice management is a 36-credit program with courses offered year-round. Depending on how many credits you complete each term and the number of credits you may be able to transfer, you can expect to graduate in as little as two years.
UMGC is committed to keeping our tuition and fees as affordable as possible. The online master's degree in management with a concentration in criminal justice management follows the standard graduate program tuition rates, which appear at the top of this webpage. We also offer scholarships for those who qualify, an interest-free monthly payment plan, and no-cost digital materials in place of most textbooks to help make your education more affordable.
You don't need to have majored in a specific area to be successful in this degree program. However, we do recommend that you have a recent background in finance or accounting, as well as statistics. Strong writing skills are also encouraged.