Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs in Massachusetts

Updated September 21, 2026

Massachusetts has 14 institutions offering a master’s specifically in Criminal Justice and Corrections, per federal education data, plus three more with adjacent homeland-security or protective-services master’s tracks. Programs commonly run 30 to 42 credits over four to five semesters, though format and requirements vary by school. Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary, in the state earn a median $79,500 a year, per May 2025 BLS data.

Boston runs one of the largest criminal justice systems in the country, and departments and corrections units across the rest of the state need trained leadership too. A master’s degree can matter for certain leadership, administrative, research, or policy roles, depending on the specific agency, but promotion requirements in Massachusetts law enforcement and corrections are set agency by agency or through the civil service system, not by a statewide degree rule.

What Can You Do With a Master’s in Criminal Justice in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts passed criminal justice reform legislation in 2018 that removed mandatory minimum sentences for some lower-level drug offenses and expanded treatment diversion for people with substance abuse issues. Confirm the state’s current reform priorities directly with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security before treating this as today’s policy picture.

A master’s may be directly relevant to specific leadership, administrative, research, or policy positions, depending on what the hiring agency requires for that role. Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary, in Massachusetts have a median wage of $79,500 a year, per May 2025 BLS data. ProjectionsCentral projects the occupation growing from 380 to 400 positions in the state by 2034, about 30 openings a year once you count both new positions and replacement needs (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34). That wage line covers postsecondary teaching specifically. Program administration, corrections leadership, and state-agency policy roles can draw on the same degree without appearing in this particular occupational code.

Featured Programs:

What Will It Take to Earn Your Criminal Justice Graduate Degree in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts CJ master’s programs commonly run 30 to 42 credits, four to five semesters for a full-time student, but check your target program’s specific credit count and format since it varies by school. Whether a program requires a summer internship, an assistantship, a capstone project, or a thesis differs by school too. Confirm the requirement directly with the program before you apply.

Reported per-credit tuition in Massachusetts CJ graduate programs has ranged from $632 to $1,300. Rates change year to year and by school, so confirm current tuition with the program you’re considering. Scholarships, including options like the Correctional Association of Massachusetts Scholarship, may help offset the cost if you confirm the award is still active and open to CJ master’s students.

Concentrations offered across Massachusetts CJ master’s programs have included security management, forensic psychology, criminal justice leadership, justice and security, and criminology, though which tracks a given school actually offers changes, so check the current catalog. A forensic psychology concentration is not the same as becoming a licensed psychologist: psychologist licensure in Massachusetts requires doctoral-level education and separate state board approval. Example coursework you might see in a forensic-psychology-focused track includes:

Psychiatric Epidemiology
Sociology of Law
Contemporary Issues in Responding to Crime
Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime
Contemporary Views of the Nature of Crime

Other tracks weight specific work environments and crime types differently. Compare curricula across a few schools before you commit. The course list tells you more about a program’s day-to-day than the concentration name does.

Where to Study Criminal Justice at the Master’s Level in Massachusetts

14 Massachusetts institutions offer a master’s specifically in Criminal Justice and Corrections, per U.S. Department of Education data. Three more, Endicott College, Nichols College, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy, offer a master’s in an adjacent field within the same federal criminal-justice-and-protective-services family (homeland security or protective services), not in Criminal Justice and Corrections itself. That’s 17 total across the broader field. Northeastern University and Northeastern University Professional Programs are two separately reported federal institutions (different UNITIDs), not a duplicate listing of one school.

School	Type	Program Area(s)
Anna Maria College	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice, Fire Protection, Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology
Bay Path University	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice, Security Science and Technology
Boston University	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice, Security Science and Technology
Bridgewater State University	Public	Criminal Justice
Curry College	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice
Endicott College*	Private nonprofit	Homeland Security
Fitchburg State University	Public	Criminal Justice
Massachusetts Maritime Academy*	Public	Protective Services (Other)
Merrimack College	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice
Nichols College*	Private nonprofit	Homeland Security
Northeastern University	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice, Homeland Security
Northeastern University Professional Programs	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice, Homeland Security
Salem State University	Public	Criminal Justice
Suffolk University	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice
University of Massachusetts-Lowell	Public	Criminal Justice
Western New England University	Private nonprofit	Criminal Justice, Security Science and Technology
Westfield State University	Public	Criminal Justice

*Adjacent-field program, not Criminal Justice and Corrections specifically.

This reflects what each school reported to the U.S. Department of Education as of the file dates below, not necessarily what’s actively marketed on the school’s own site today. None of these institutions are classified as distance-only in federal data, though that’s an institution-level classification, not a guarantee that every specific master’s program listed here is offered in person. Confirm current enrollment, delivery format, and admission requirements directly with any program before you apply.

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 September 2026.

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary. 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 September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a bachelor’s in criminal justice to apply to a master’s program in Massachusetts?

Not always. Many programs accept applicants with a related bachelor’s, like sociology, psychology, or political science, and some add a bridge course or two to fill the gap. Check the specific admission requirements at each school since they vary.

How long does a criminal justice master’s degree take in Massachusetts?

Programs commonly run 30 to 42 credits, four to five semesters full-time, though the exact length and format vary by school. Confirm the specific credit count and timeline with your target program.

What can I do with a criminal justice master’s besides teach?

It depends on the employer. Some leadership, administrative, research, and policy roles call for graduate-level education, but there’s no blanket Massachusetts rule tying a specific job title or promotion to a master’s degree. Check the requirements listed for the specific role and agency you’re targeting.

Is a criminal justice master’s degree worth the cost in Massachusetts?

That depends on the role you’re after and what your target agency actually requires for it. Confirm current tuition directly with the program, and weigh the cost against the specific leadership, research, or policy role you want, not against the state’s overall occupational wage average.

Key Takeaways

14 CJ-specific, 17 in the broader field – 14 Massachusetts institutions offer a master’s specifically in Criminal Justice and Corrections. Three more offer an adjacent homeland-security or protective-services master’s, per federal education data.
30 to 42 credits – Typical range for Massachusetts CJ master’s programs, four to five semesters full-time. Confirm the exact credit count and format with your target school.
$632 to $1,300 per credit – Reported tuition range. Verify current rates directly with the program, and ask about scholarships like the Correctional Association of Massachusetts Scholarship.
$79,500 median – What criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary, earn in Massachusetts, per May 2025 BLS data. ProjectionsCentral projects the role growing from 380 to 400 positions by 2034, about 30 openings a year, including replacement needs, not 30 new jobs.

Worried about paying for the degree? The scholarships guide lists awards built for criminal justice majors, with eligibility, amounts, and deadlines.

Read: Scholarships for Criminal Justice Majors and Grad Students

Want the bigger picture? Read the full guide to Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice.