Master’s in Criminal Justice Online Graduate Program

A master's in criminal justice can help prepare you for leadership roles in law enforcement and public safety. By earning your degree, you’ll be equipped with the critical thinking, data-driven decision-making and organizational management skills necessary to succeed in an evolving law enforcement landscape.

While many criminal justice careers don’t require a college degree, law enforcement agencies are increasingly looking for college graduates when hiring. Earning a master’s degree can give you a leg up in the job market and can prepare you to adapt to an evolving field.

Depending on your career goals, adding a concentration to your master’s degree in criminal justice like advanced counterterrorism and homeland security, cybercrime or public safety administration could help you enjoy an even wider range of opportunities.

A concentration in advanced counterterrorism and homeland security helps build an understanding of how to analyze foreign and domestic terrorism threats, collect and interpret intelligence, and examine the assumptions and perspectives that shape views on terrorism.

Meanwhile, a concentration in cybercrime focuses on challenges in digital environments, developing skills in identifying threats, conducting investigations and supporting prevention and response efforts. It draws on cybersecurity principles, digital forensics and criminal justice practices to support the protection of individuals, organizations and communities.

Lastly, a concentration in public safety administration provides insight into the operational side of criminal justice, public policy and emergency management, with an emphasis on how policies are developed and implemented at the local, state and federal levels.

Read more: What Can You Do With a Master's in Criminal Justice

The best master’s degree in criminal justice is the one that aligns with your goals and job interests.

In our MS in Criminal Justice program, you’ll begin by building a strong foundation in current criminological theories and research to support effective decision-making within the U.S. justice system. From there, you can choose to remain in the general track or pursue a career-focused concentration in advanced counterterrorism and homeland security, cybercrime or public safety administration.

The program is offered 100% online, allowing you to study when and where it works best for you, with weekly deadlines to keep you on track. You’ll also have access to a dedicated academic advisor and student support resources from enrollment through graduation and beyond to help guide your progress.

SNHU also offers some of the most affordable online tuition rates in the country, making it an accessible option for many.

SNHU offers some of the lowest online tuition rates in the U.S, with master’s-level courses priced at $659 per credit.

The total cost of your degree will depend on factors such as the specific courses you take, required learning materials and any previously completed coursework. For example, you may be able to transfer up to 9 credits of relevant coursework into our 30-credit MS in Criminal Justice program, which can reduce both overall tuition cost and time to completion.

Read more: How to Pay for a Master's Degree

It depends. With an online master’s degree program, you can fit learning into your schedule and earn a master’s degree in as few as 15 months.

Let's break down that 15-month timeline. In SNHU's MS in Criminal Justice program specifically, you're able to transfer in the maximum 9 credits. This would leave you with 21 remaining credits — or 7 courses — to complete. If you decided to enroll full time and take 2 courses per term, you could finish within that 15-month timeframe.

That said, with 5 graduate term starts per year, you can move at a slower pace if you'd like. This can be especially helpful to those earning their degree while balancing a career, family or other responsibilities.

At the end of the day, we want to make your goals more accessible. That means allowing you the flexibility to complete your program at whatever pace works best for you.

Read more: How Long Does It Take to Get a Master's Degree?

A master’s in criminal justice with a concentration in public safety administration can help you build on your law enforcement experience as you explore leadership roles that involve public policy.

Whether your interests are at the local, state or national level, you’ll be prepared to navigate the complexities of the U.S. criminal justice system across a range of agencies and career paths.

For example, as an emergency management director, you could oversee planning and response efforts for natural disasters and other large-scale incidents at the city, county or state level. According to the BLS, emergency management jobs are expected to grow 3% through 2034.¹

You might also pursue opportunities in local government leadership, such as mayor, city manager or county administrator, helping guide day-to-day operations and long-term planning. BLS data projects 4% growth in top executive roles through 2034.¹

There’s no single answer to what the best jobs in criminal justice are, because what’s best depends on your interests, strengths and career goals. However, some of the most common roles in the field include:

• Police officers and detectives: Protect lives and property, investigate to gather facts and collect evidence of possible crimes.
• Corrections officers: Manage operations and staff at jails, prisons and other parts of the corrections system, overseeing those who are awaiting trial or serving a sentence.
• Forensic science technicians: Aid criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence from crime scenes and testifying about the results in court proceedings.
• Private investigators: Conduct investigations for private citizens about legal, financial and personal matters.
• Probation officers: Assist in the rehabilitation of criminal offenders in custody or on probation or parole.

The right path comes down to the kind of impact you want to make and the day-to-day work you find most rewarding.

Earning your master's in criminal justice is a great way to position yourself as a strong candidate in the job market. The BLS reports that master's degree holders had median usual weekly earnings of $1,840 in 2024 — over 19% more than individuals with a bachelor's degree.¹

That said, salaries for those with a master's in criminal justice can range depending on things like credentials, experience, industry and job level. The BLS reported that the median annual wage for social and community service managers, for example, was $78,240 in 2024.¹ The same year, police and detectives made nearly the same median annual wage — $77,270.¹

In summary, how much you make with your master's in criminal justice can depend on a number of different factors, so it's challenging to give a single answer. It really depends on the specific area you'll be working in and how much experience you bring to the table.

The best online college for criminal justice is one that most closely aligns with your career goals.

At SNHU, we started offering online classes in 1995 to help active-duty military students pursue their degrees from anywhere. We've since taken great pride in our ability to evolve our online learning solutions to suit the needs of all learners.

Our online programs are:

• Affordable. As a university built for people, not for profit, we strive to keep our programs as affordable as possible.
• Flexible. Our graduate degrees are built to fit your busy life. You can access your coursework online, on your own time — and finish your master's in as few as 15 months.
• Transfer-friendly. We want to make earning your degree as seamless as possible. That’s why transfer credits may be accepted toward your master’s degree, allowing you to pick up where you left off.

We understand that a career in law enforcement often requires long hours and shift work. To help you succeed in the criminal justice master’s degree program, we'll help you find the right balance between work and school and support you along the way whenever you need it.

Our faculty incorporate real-world examples and professional experience into the learning process to connect classroom concepts to practical application. Courses are taught by law enforcement and public safety professionals with years of hands-on experience, including many who continue to work in the field.

Finally, a required capstone project before graduation ensures you’ll get the chance to apply the skills and knowledge you’ve learned toward a real-life challenge impacting your organization or community.

While many may think these terms are interchangeable, there are, in fact, some important differences between criminology and criminal justice.

Criminology is the study of crime, or the "why" behind criminal behavior. As such, criminology involves the research and analysis of all aspects of deviant human behavior, from the causes of crimes to their consequences. By understanding these factors, a criminologist can then use these findings to inform policies to help mitigate crime.

Criminal profiling and forensic psychology are possible careers that fall under the category of criminology.²

Learn more about what you can do with a criminology degree.

Criminal justice, on the other hand, hones in on the practical applications. Criminal justice takes the "why" from criminology and explores the real-life responses to it. This may include any number of complex areas, such as local and federal policies, law enforcement, incarceration, rehabilitation and more.

There is a broad range of criminal justice careers, including police officers, investigators and detectives.²

Our online MS in Criminal Justice explores concepts relevant to both criminal justice and criminology careers, helping prepare you for the role you want.

Yes. There are, in fact, professionals responsible for creating criminal profiles. These individuals are sometimes referred to as "criminal investigative analysts" or "criminal profilers," depending on their area of work.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), it's the job of a criminal profiler or criminal investigative analyst to use data to identify likely characteristics of a suspect in a crime.³ Several resources are used to compile these criminal profiles, such as the testimonies of witnesses or victims and forensic crime scene evidence. Profilers often work on crimes or threats that are unusual, repetitive or violent in nature and assist various agencies with their investigations.³

It's important to note that these roles likely require significant law enforcement experience combined with advanced education in psychology or criminology to qualify. If you're interested in pursuing this kind of career path, be sure to research what a realistic day-in-the-life looks like, and connect with professionals in the field to ask questions and gain a clear understanding.

Read more: TV vs. Reality: A Real-World View of Criminal Justice Career Paths

If you'd like to pursue a job in cybercrime investigation, SNHU's MS in Criminal Justice program could be a good place to start. You'll build skills in cyber threat assessment, digital investigation techniques and data analysis. You'll also gain a deeper understanding of the legal and ethical issues surrounding cybercrime and learn strategies for prevention, response and collaboration across agencies. By the time you graduate, you'll be positioned for opportunities in law enforcement, cybersecurity, intelligence and related fields focused on identifying and addressing cyber threats.