PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in Massachusetts

Updated October 5, 2026

Massachusetts has two in-state options for a criminal justice doctorate: Northeastern’s PhD in Criminology and Justice Policy and UMass Lowell’s PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Both involve coursework, qualifying exams, and a dissertation, though program length and specific exams differ by school. Confirm credit hours, GRE requirements, and funding directly with each program.

In 2018, Massachusetts lawmakers and researchers pushed for a wave of criminal justice changes, from juvenile jurisdiction reform to shorter incarceration periods paired with education programs. Those debates are part of why the state has two active doctoral programs in criminology and criminal justice today. If you’re weighing a PhD, you’re stepping into a field with real research questions still open, not a settled one. Here’s what earning a doctorate in Massachusetts actually involves at each school, and what it can lead to.

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What a Criminal Justice PhD Can Lead To

A criminology or criminal justice doctorate doesn’t funnel into one job. UMass Lowell’s own program materials point to research, policy analysis, management, administration, and teaching as outcomes for its graduates, and Northeastern’s PhD in Criminology and Justice Policy is built around the same mix of research and policy training. Teaching is one real path: Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median $79,500 a year in Massachusetts, per May 2025 BLS wage data, and the state’s 2024-34 ProjectionsCentral projections show the field growing from 380 to 400 jobs over the decade, a 5.8% increase, with about 30 openings projected per year from growth and turnover combined. That’s not the only outcome a doctorate supports, and it isn’t guaranteed either, but it’s a real, source-backed option.

For context, here’s a second BLS-tracked role sometimes mentioned alongside criminal justice careers: Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers earn a median of $113,750 in Massachusetts, per the same May 2025 data. Worth being direct about this one: BLS describes the role as generally requiring a law degree and related legal work experience, not a criminal justice doctorate. A criminology or criminal justice PhD isn’t a standard, direct qualification for administrative-law-judge work, so treat this figure as general field context, not a career outcome your PhD leads to.

What Each Program Actually Requires

Northeastern and UMass Lowell run two different doctorates, not two versions of the same one, and the requirements differ enough that you should plan around the specific school, not a generic PhD timeline.

Northeastern’s PhD in Criminology and Justice Policy requires 54 semester hours for students entering with a bachelor’s degree, or 42 semester hours with advanced standing, before you reach candidacy. Admission doesn’t require a master’s degree first; both the bachelor’s-entry and advanced-standing pathways exist. The GRE is currently listed as optional. Before you can move to the dissertation, Northeastern requires you to clear multiple qualifying milestones, including foundations and area examinations and a publishable-paper requirement, through its defined committee, proposal, and candidacy process.

UMass Lowell’s PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice requires 60 credits and is currently listed as an on-campus program. The GRE is currently required for admission. Candidacy requires passing a preliminary exam and a comprehensive exam. For the dissertation itself, UMass Lowell gives you two tracks: a traditional dissertation or a three-paper option, so your output doesn’t have to take the same shape as a classmate’s. Program materials describe graduate outcomes including the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research and gain teaching experience at the graduate and undergraduate level, prepare for analytical and administrative management positions, build real competency in policy analysis, and engage with the growing field of criminology.

None of these are state licensing exams. They’re academic program requirements set by each university, and clearing them doesn’t require, or substitute for, any Massachusetts professional license.

Program length is usually estimated at four to six years for a criminal justice doctorate in general, but treat that as a planning estimate, not a guarantee from either Massachusetts program specifically. Ask each school for its typical time-to-degree before you commit to a timeline.

Where to Study a Criminal Justice PhD in Massachusetts

Two Massachusetts institutions offer a doctoral-level program in the criminal justice family, per U.S. Department of Education data:

Institution	Program Area	Institution Type
Northeastern University	Criminal Justice and Corrections	Private nonprofit, 4-year
University of Massachusetts-Lowell	Criminal Justice and Corrections; Security Science and Technology	Public, 4-year

Both are non-distance-only 4-year institutions per federal education data. UMass Lowell’s PhD is currently listed as on-campus; confirm Northeastern’s specific program delivery format directly with the school, since that classification reflects the institution overall, not necessarily this one program. Program structure, funding, and admission requirements change more often than federal data gets refreshed, so confirm current enrollment status, GRE requirements, and format directly with each school’s graduate admissions office before applying.

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.

Teaching experience and funding structures vary by school and by year. Many criminal justice PhD programs nationally offer assistantships or partial funding in exchange for teaching hours, but ask each Massachusetts program directly what it currently offers rather than assuming either one matches that pattern. Massachusetts-based professional groups are also worth knowing about if you want a research or policy angle grounded in what local departments deal with; the Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement is one example, though its scholarship work targets undergraduates rather than doctoral students.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a criminal justice PhD take in Massachusetts?

A criminology or criminal justice doctorate is generally estimated at four to six years, though neither Massachusetts program publishes that as a fixed requirement. Credit and milestone requirements differ by school: Northeastern requires 54 semester hours (42 with advanced standing) before candidacy, while UMass Lowell requires 60 credits plus a preliminary and comprehensive exam. Ask each program directly for its typical time-to-degree.

What schools in Massachusetts offer a PhD in criminal justice?

Northeastern University offers a PhD in Criminology and Justice Policy, and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell offers a PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Both fall under the criminal justice family in federal education data. Confirm current admission requirements and program delivery directly with each school.

What can you do with a criminal justice PhD in Massachusetts?

UMass Lowell’s program identifies potential outcomes including research, policy analysis, management, administration, and teaching, and Northeastern’s program is built around similar research and policy training. Teaching is one BLS-tracked path: Massachusetts criminal justice and law enforcement professors earn a median $79,500 a year as of May 2025. There’s no single standard outcome; the specific path depends heavily on your research focus and the program you choose.

Do I need a master’s degree before starting a PhD program?

Not necessarily, at least not at Northeastern, which accepts students directly from a bachelor’s degree (54 semester hours before candidacy) as well as those with advanced standing (42 semester hours). UMass Lowell’s admission requirements, including whether a master’s is expected, should be confirmed directly with the program. Don’t assume either school requires a master’s first without checking.

Is funding available for criminal justice PhD students?

Funding availability and structure vary by school and change year to year, so this is one to ask directly rather than assume. Contact each program’s graduate admissions office about teaching assistantships and other funding before you commit to an enrollment timeline.

Key Takeaways

Two real options, two different programs – Northeastern’s PhD in Criminology and Justice Policy and UMass Lowell’s PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice are both federally recognized doctoral programs in the criminal justice family, but their requirements aren’t interchangeable.
Credits and exams differ by school – Northeastern: 54 semester hours (42 with advanced standing), qualifying milestones, GRE optional. UMass Lowell: 60 credits, preliminary and comprehensive exams, GRE currently required.
The dissertation isn’t one-size-fits-all – UMass Lowell offers a traditional dissertation or a three-paper option; Northeastern runs its own committee, proposal, and candidacy process. Ask each school directly.
Teaching is a real, sourced outcome – Massachusetts criminal justice professors earn a median $79,500 a year (BLS, May 2025), with modest job growth through 2034. It’s not the only outcome, and it isn’t guaranteed.
A PhD doesn’t qualify you as an administrative law judge – that role generally requires a law degree and legal work experience, not a criminal justice doctorate. The $113,750 median wage is general field context, not a program outcome.

If cost is the open question, ask every program you’re considering directly about teaching-assistantship funding and what it actually covers, since availability and structure vary by school. Confirm current admissions requirements, including GRE expectations, with each program before you apply.

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary and Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect state-level data for Massachusetts wage figures; the administrative law judge growth figure reflects national data (no Massachusetts-specific projection exists for this role), not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2026.

Online programs may not be available in all areas.

Want the bigger picture? Read the full guide to Doctoral Degrees in Criminal Justice | DCJ and PhD.