Fact-checked by Rebecca Turley

Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs in Kansas

Five Kansas institutions report a master’s-level program in the federal data covering criminal justice and related fields, though four are titled Criminal Justice and the University of Kansas lists Homeland Security instead. Kansas doesn’t require the degree for entry-level hiring. Its value, if any, shows up later in supervisory, administrative, or certain federal roles, depending on the agency.

Crime in Kansas doesn’t stay simple, and neither does the paperwork, the evidence, or the chain of command behind solving it—a bachelor’s degree introduces you to that complexity, and a master’s lets you study it in more depth. A graduate degree in criminal justice is usually pursued by people already working in the field: officers and corrections staff considering a supervisory posting, people targeting federal agencies whose qualification standards sometimes credit graduate coursework, and people interested in teaching, where each institution sets its own faculty requirements. Here’s what the degree actually involves and which Kansas schools report a program in this field.

What a Master’s in Criminal Justice Actually Does for Your Career in Kansas

A master’s degree doesn’t replace Kansas’s certification requirements for working peace officers. The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (KSCPOST) sets the training and certification standards Kansas police officers and sheriff’s deputies must meet, and individual agencies can add their own education, age, testing, physical, background, and experience requirements on top of that baseline. Corrections hiring and training in Kansas run on a separate track set by the employing agency, not through KSCPOST.

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Related Occupations

Two supervisory occupations show up when Kansas labor data is filtered to this field. Here’s the wage and employment data for each, as of 2025.

Occupation	Median Annual Wage (Kansas, May 2025)	Projected Growth (Kansas, 2024-34)
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$82,950	+2.8% (2,300 to 2,360 jobs)
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$71,590	Not tracked at the state level

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives and First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect state-level data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2026.

These are occupational wage and employment figures, not a measure of what a master’s degree specifically returns. Kansas doesn’t publish data tying degree attainment to rank or pay within either role.

What It Takes to Earn a Criminal Justice Graduate Degree in Kansas

Program length and credit requirements vary by school and by field. A Criminal Justice master’s generally runs close to two years full-time, while Homeland Security and Security Science and Technology programs can be structured differently. Confirm the credit count, delivery format, and expected timeline directly with each school’s current catalog before you plan around any of these numbers.

Tuition structure, flat-rate or per-credit, and the rate itself vary by school, by residency status, and by format. Confirm current cost directly with each program.

The Kansas Peace Officers Association offers a scholarship restricted to the dependents of its active members, not a general criminal justice scholarship, so check eligibility before counting on it.

Where to Study: Kansas Schools Reporting a Criminal Justice Graduate Program

Five Kansas institutions report a master’s-level program within the federal data covering criminal justice and closely related fields, per U.S. Department of Education data, but the programs aren’t interchangeable. Four list Criminal Justice specifically. The University of Kansas’s listed program is Homeland Security, and Emporia State separately reports a Security Science and Technology program alongside its Criminal Justice offering. This is a federal reporting snapshot, not a live catalog. Confirm the current degree title, credits, delivery format, and enrollment status directly with each school before applying.

Institution	City	Control	Program Area(s)
Emporia State University	Emporia	Public	Criminal Justice, Security Science and Technology
Southwestern College	Winfield	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice
University of Kansas	Lawrence	Public	Homeland Security
Washburn University	Topeka	Public	Criminal Justice
Wichita State University	Wichita	Public	Criminal Justice

School and program data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, institution file May 2025 and field-of-study file April 2025. Data accessed October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a master’s in criminal justice to become a police officer in Kansas?

No single statewide rule requires it. Kansas police officers and sheriff’s deputies must meet the training and certification standards set by the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (KSCPOST), and individual agencies can layer on their own education, age, testing, physical, and background requirements. A master’s degree isn’t part of that baseline certification process.

How long does a criminal justice master’s degree take to complete?

It depends on the school and the specific program. A Criminal Justice master’s generally runs close to two years full-time, though Homeland Security and Security Science and Technology programs can be structured differently, and part-time timelines vary further. Confirm the credit count and expected timeline with each school directly.

What can a master’s degree do for a criminal justice career in Kansas?

It can strengthen your file for a supervisory posting, an administrative role, or certain federal positions, some of which credit graduate coursework toward their qualification standards. None of that is guaranteed, and supervisory and command roles aren’t closed to bachelor’s-degree holders at most agencies.

Which Kansas schools offer a criminal justice master’s program?

Five Kansas institutions report a master’s-level program in this federal data family: Emporia State University, Southwestern College, the University of Kansas, Washburn University, and Wichita State University. Four list Criminal Justice specifically. The University of Kansas’s listed program is Homeland Security. Confirm current program details with each school directly.

Does a master’s degree guarantee a promotion?

No. Promotion in Kansas law enforcement and corrections depends on the employing agency’s own experience, testing, education, and other requirements, which vary by department and aren’t governed by a single statewide exam. A graduate degree may be one factor some agencies weigh, but it replaces none of those requirements.

Key Takeaways

Certification, not a graduate degree, gets you hired – Kansas peace officers are trained and certified through KSCPOST, and corrections hiring runs on a separate agency track.
Two related occupations show measurable pay – Kansas first-line supervisors of police and detectives report a median $82,950 a year (BLS, May 2025), which reflects the occupation’s wage, not what a master’s degree itself returns.
Five Kansas schools report a related program, but the fields differ – four list Criminal Justice, and the University of Kansas lists Homeland Security, per federal data.
Confirm program details directly with the school – degree title, credits, format, and enrollment status can all differ from what’s in federal reporting data.

Weighing the cost against the payoff? Check your target agency’s own promotion criteria before you pick a specialization, and look into financial aid for criminal justice students before you take out a loan for the difference.