Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs in Pennsylvania
Throughout Pennsylvania, a network of criminal justice agencies and professionals work to keep society safe. However, the industry’s goals at large have expanded and become more inclusive. Experts and researchers hope to prevent false imprisonment, protect victims’ rights, and ensure efficacy in offender treatment.
What Can I Do With My Master’s in Criminal Justice in Pennsylvania?
No matter what you’re interested in accomplishing during your criminal justice career, you can take the first step now by advancing your education. Request information from criminal justice graduate programs in Pennsylvania today.
Pursuing a graduate degree in this field may give you the chance to participate in industry-changing research. The state has a wide range of research projects going on at any given time. Current research topics include the disruption of drug distribution networks, incarceration experiences of female inmates and their children, and prison inmate networks (Criminal Justice Research Center, 2018).
A master’s degree in criminal justice in Pennsylvania may help you explore many different career options. Job openings for correctional supervisors may see minimal change through 2026 and the expected growth rate for police supervision jobs is 4% (CareerOneStop, 2017). Pennsylvania correctional supervisors report an average salary of $80,200 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). An average salary of $90,420 per year is claimed by police supervisors (BLS, 2017).
What Will It Take to Earn My Criminal Justice Graduate Degree in Pennsylvania?
Finding the right graduate school is an essential part of truly thriving in the criminal justice community. Credit requirements in Pennsylvania range from 30 to 36 credits, which works out to approximately four semesters for full-time students.
If you attend school on a full-time basis, you may pay a capped tuition fee regardless of how many credits you take. If you pay on a per-credit basis, you can expect to pay between $800 per credit and $2000 per credit. Many students use financial aid to offset educational expenses, so consider your options. The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association may be a resource for you if you have worked in the criminal justice industry in corrections.
Each program sets its own curriculum requirements, although requirements tend to be somewhat similar between schools.
Check the list below to find common courses for a criminal justice master’s degree in Pennsylvania:
- Juvenile Law and Justice: The laws that affect juvenile offenders and the differences between juvenile incarceration and adult incarceration
- Police Administration: Responsibilities and tasks of police management, legislation that affects police departments, and factors that affect the running of a police department
- Advanced Statistics in Criminal Justice: How to interpret statistics used in criminal justice research
- Advanced Criminological Theory: Exploring high-level research in criminology and causes of crime
- Women in the Criminal Justice System: Differences in how men and women commit crime, get treated in the justice system, and go through rehabilitation
- Ethics in Criminal Justice: The role of ethics in criminal justice and the importance of avoiding abuses of power
- Alternatives to Incarceration: How rehabilitation, mental health treatment, or drug treatment may be more effective options than incarceration
Once you graduate with a master’s degree in criminal justice in Pennsylvania, you should be thoroughly versed in state laws, statutes, and expectations.
Start checking out your education options by contacting criminal justice graduate programs in Pennsylvania.
