Ranked highly among best Criminal Justice M.S. programs in the country, our program provides students with advanced theoretical, legal, and methodological training for research, teaching, and management careers in criminal justice. The program serves to educate criminal justice professionals and prepare students for further advanced graduate work, legal studies, and scholarship.
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice Program is always offered entirely online with a minimum of four synchronous sessions a semester. Unlike other online programs, where students have no direct interaction with faculty and peers, here students have the opportunity to interact in a virtual setting in each course, but maintain the flexibility of never having to come to campus.
Recent rankings placed the Master of Science in Criminal Justice in the top programs in the United States.
Applicants may qualify for a waiver of the GRE requirement if the student possesses an overall GPA of 3.30 or higher as evidenced by his/her official, final degree transcript from the applicant’s baccalaureate degree-awarding institution, or by completion of a master’s degree in a related field.
Advanced Instruction provides students like you the instruction required to take your employment to the next level in the field of Criminal Justice.
- Corrections Supervisor
- Court Administration Manager
- Government Liaison
- Law Enforcement Supervisor
- Intelligence Analysis Manager
- Online or Cybersecurity Manger
- Find out which of our academic programs is right for you.
- Meet some of our current students and hear about their favorite Marshall moments.
- Receive invitations to special events for future students.
- Get help with the application and enrollment process.
Admission Requirements
Deadlines: Applications to the program are due by July 1 for the fall semester and by November 1 for the spring semester. However, students are strongly encouraged to apply early. Applications submitted after the due dates will be considered, but no later than three weeks from the start of classes for the fall semester and four weeks for the spring semester. Application for admission does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
Applicants should follow the admissions process described in the Graduate Catalog, or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission. (Submit all materials to the Graduate Admissions Office.)
Applicants must also have:
- a baccalaureate degree from an accepted, accredited college or university (preference will be given to applicants with undergraduate majors in criminal justice or closely related social science discipline);
- an undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale as documented on an official, final degree transcript from the applicant’s baccalaureate degree-awarding institution;
- GRE scores (will be evaluated in combination with the undergraduate GPA);
- for international students, a score on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) of 80;
- a C or better in an undergraduate research methods course or equivalent (documentation of course content may be required);
- two letters of recommendation (college instructors strongly preferred); and
- a personal statement (1-2 page essay regarding the student’s interest in criminal justice and how the M.S. in Criminal Justice degree will benefit him or her).
Waivers: Applicants may qualify for a waiver of the GRE requirement if the student
- possesses an overall GPA of 3.30 or higher as evidenced by his/her official, final degree transcript from the applicant’s baccalaureate degree-awarding institution, or
- by completion of a master’s degree in a related field.
Applicants who have completed a previous master’s degree must submit an official, final transcript from the applicant’s master’s degree-awarding institution as evidence of qualifying for the waiver.
Students may be considered for provisional admission or conditional enrollment. All prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact the Criminal Justice Graduate Director before applying to the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program to discuss the application process and requirements.
Assistantships and Financial Support
The Criminal Justice and Criminology department has funds available in the form of assistantships to provide financial support for graduate students. For complete information on graduate assistantships, please see www.marshall.edu/graduate/graduate-assistantships-2/graduate-assistantship-overview. For complete information on other financial support opportunities, please see www.marshall.edu/graduate and click on "Prospective Students" and then “Costs and Aid.”