PhD in Criminal Justice Programs Available to Kansas Students
Updated September 30, 2026
A criminal justice PhD is a research-focused doctorate built around advanced coursework, exams, and a dissertation, and federal education data show no Kansas university currently offers one in-state. Kansas students typically complete an accredited online or out-of-state program instead. The clearest payoff is research and teaching: Kansas criminal justice professors earn a median $50,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Kansas has continued to consider and enact criminal-justice changes involving sentencing, diversion, drug-treatment alternatives, and community supervision. In 2016, a coalition of poverty advocates, civil rights groups, and criminal justice experts pushed state lawmakers toward some of that reform (Lawrence Journal-World, 2016). A PhD is the credential behind a lot of the research driving those conversations, whether it’s the study measuring what a diversion program actually does or the professor training the next generation of practitioners. Here’s what earning one actually takes, what it opens up, and why Kansas students usually look outside the state to get it.
What Can You Do With a PhD in Criminal Justice in Kansas?
A five-year Wichita State study examined Kansas minority residents’ experiences and perceptions of racial profiling, along with law-enforcement responses. The research helped inform a biased-based-policing training curriculum used by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (Wichita State News, 2016). That’s the kind of work a criminal justice PhD trains you for: designing a study that holds up, and turning findings into something agencies actually use.
The degree pays off most clearly in postsecondary teaching and research. Here’s what that looks like in Kansas right now, alongside the numbers for a career people sometimes assume needs the same degree.
| Occupation | Kansas Median Salary (May 2025) | Job Growth Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary | $50,270 | +3.3% (Kansas, ProjectionsCentral 2024-34) |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators & Hearing Officers | $126,570 | -0.6% (National, ProjectionsCentral 2024-34 – no Kansas-specific projection published) |
Neither career requires a PhD by law, but the paths look different. Search committees hiring postsecondary CJ faculty typically expect a doctorate. Administrative law judge and hearing-officer requirements vary by jurisdiction and employer: these positions typically require a law degree and relevant legal experience, and a criminal justice PhD is not a standard requirement. If the bench is your goal rather than the classroom, law school is the credential that actually opens that door.
Salary figures are Kansas-specific: May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary and Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored ProjectionsCentral (2024-34 cycle): the professor figure is Kansas-specific, and since no Kansas-level projection is published for administrative law judges, the national figure is shown instead. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.
What Will It Take to Earn a Criminal Justice PhD?
A PhD is a research-focused doctoral degree in criminal justice, built for people headed into research, teaching, senior administration, or policy work rather than front-line practice. Federal education data show no Kansas university currently offers one in-state (U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, accessed September 2026), so most Kansas residents pursuing this degree do it through an accredited online or out-of-state program.
Time and Credits
Program length and credit requirements vary substantially by university. Common milestones include several years of advanced coursework, comprehensive exams or an equivalent benchmark, and a dissertation. Some programs admit students directly from a bachelor’s degree, while others require a master’s in criminal justice or a related field first, which can reduce the credits you still need. Check each program’s specific requirements before applying.
Typical Coursework
Course titles vary by school and specialization. Depending on the program, coursework may include:
- Qualitative Research Methods in Criminal Justice
- Quantitative Research Methods in Criminal Justice
- Advanced Theoretical Criminology
- Violent Crime
- Homicide Investigation
- Forensic Social Work
- Crime Causation and Criminal Justice Policy
- Juvenile Justice and Social Policy
- Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
The Dissertation
This is the longest piece of writing most candidates will ever produce. You’ll work with an advisor to develop a thesis and a research focus, then spend several years building the case before you defend it in front of a committee. Pick an advisor whose own research overlaps with what you want to study. That match matters more than the school’s overall ranking.
Funding Your PhD
Some universities offer teaching or research assistantships, tuition support, stipends, scholarships, or other doctoral funding. Availability, workload, and award amounts vary substantially by program, so ask directly about funding structure, expected hours, and how many years of support are guaranteed before you commit.
A doctorate is typically expected for tenure-track teaching at four-year colleges and universities, although requirements vary by institution and position. If you want to stay in the field without the dissertation, a master’s plus field experience often gets you there faster and cheaper. Compare the online and out-of-state programs below that enroll Kansas residents by cost, funding, and research focus.
- Alabama
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- Kansas
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- Mississippi
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- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a PhD in criminal justice in Kansas?
It’s a research-focused doctoral degree: typically several years of coursework, exams, and an original dissertation, aimed at research, postsecondary teaching, or senior policy work. No Kansas university currently offers one in-state per U.S. Department of Education data, so Kansas students generally complete it through an accredited online or out-of-state program.
How long does a criminal justice PhD take?
Program length varies substantially by school. Expect several years of coursework and research beyond a bachelor’s or master’s degree, with the exact timeline depending on your prior credits, how quickly your dissertation research comes together, and whether you study full- or part-time.
Do I need a master’s degree before starting a PhD?
It depends on the program. Some schools admit students directly from a bachelor’s degree, while others require a master’s in criminal justice or a related field first. Check each program’s admission requirements directly, since they vary.
What can you do with a criminal justice PhD?
The clearest path is postsecondary teaching and research, where Kansas criminal justice professors earn a median $50,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A PhD isn’t required for administrative law judge or hearing-officer roles; that path runs through law school and legal experience instead.
Is a criminal justice PhD worth the time it takes?
That depends on your goal. A doctorate is typically expected for tenure-track teaching at four-year colleges and universities, though requirements vary by institution and position. If you want to stay in the field without the dissertation, a master’s plus field experience often gets you there faster and cheaper.
Key Takeaways
- No in-state program – No Kansas university currently offers an in-state criminal justice PhD, per U.S. Department of Education data. Kansas students typically complete the degree through an accredited online or out-of-state program.
- Length varies by school – Program length and credit requirements vary widely, but most involve several years of coursework, exams, and a dissertation.
- Teaching and research, not the bench – Kansas criminal justice professors earn a median $50,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The degree doesn’t qualify you to become an administrative law judge; that path runs through law school.
Before you commit to years of coursework and a dissertation, contact your target programs’ admissions offices directly and ask about funding, assistantship workload, and expected time to degree. Those answers vary far more than any ranking list will tell you.
Want the bigger picture? Read the full guide to Doctoral Degrees in Criminal Justice | DCJ and PhD.