Home Doctoral Degree in Criminal Justice PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in Nevada

PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in Nevada

As a Nevada criminal justice professional, your career may have taken you through many challenges and issues that define this state’s justice industry. Nevada is known for having laws that are not relevant in other parts of the country, as well as being more relaxed in certain areas of the law than the rest of the United States.

Furthermore, the state’s heavy reliance on tourism may mean that you spend much of your time working with visitors and tourists in addition to residents. You know that this industry is changing—if you want to have a say in that change, criminal justice doctorate programs may give you the education you need.

Uncover ways to take your career to the next level by contacting criminal justice schools in Nevada.

What Can I Do With My PhD in Criminal Justice in Nevada?

Working in legislation, research, or management may mean serving as a leader in this industry. A huge area of focus in Nevada in the death penalty. The Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty is fighting to end capital punishment in this state, a stance that you can learn more about through research, analysis, and other skills taught in a PhD program (Las Vegas Review Journal, 2016).

Nevada is one state in which legislators are trying to push through Marsy’s Law (Nevada Appeal, 2016). This law would give victims the right to updates on their case and allow them to speak during court cases and in parole cases.

Career options in this field vary. Administrative law judges earn an average of $59,600 per year and judicial law clerks bring in a median salary of $67,600 annually (O*Net, 2016). Job openings in these specialties may increase by 6% and 5%, respectively, through 2022 (O*Net, 2016).

What Will It Take to Earn My Criminal Justice Graduate Degree in Nevada?

Whether you have a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree, earning a PhD criminal justice in Nevada may be an entirely different experience for you. While undergraduate and graduate degrees tend to focus on theories and what the experts say about them, doctoral programs work to make you one of those experts.

For that reason, many of your courses may focus on discussion, analysis, and student-led research. PhD programs that include Master’s degree coursework may last up to seven years, while programs that are intended for Master’s degree graduates may last between three and four years.

With many PhD students receiving partial or full funding, work is generally part of the PhD experience. This may be part of your PhD coursework or in addition to it, depending on the school you attend. Generally, you must complete both a research practicum and a teaching practicum.

In your doctoral program, you should develop a high-level understanding of most criminal justice topics and specialize in one particular area. This area of concentration may dictate your dissertation topic and elective courses.

Listed below, find some of the commonly required core courses at this level:

  • Proseminar in Criminal Justice: Main components of system and various facilities
  • Proseminar on Research Methods: Qualitative and quantitative research methods
  • Seminar on Law and Legal Process: The legislative process, legal reform, specific topics and issues relating to current events
  • Criminological Research: Correlations of crime, theory-based research, causation of crime, implications on the industry as a whole
  • Seminar on the Nature of Crime: Theoretical perspectives on crime and criminality
  • Criminal Justice Policy: Contemporary policies; how theory, practice, and policy work together; appellate review and intergroup conflict

While additional internship practicum courses may not be required, some students choose to take advantage of further research opportunities. Several Nevada universities partner with local research groups for the benefit of PhD students.

A doctoral degree could be what you need to make the most of your skills and professional goals. Get more information now by contacting criminal justice PhD programs.