PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in Oklahoma

Updated October 5, 2026

Oklahoma’s two doctoral programs classified under the criminal-justice family aren’t generic “criminal justice PhDs.” OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa offers a PhD in Forensic Sciences, and OSU-Stillwater offers a PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration, delivered mostly online. Each has its own admission rules, credit load, and dissertation requirements, so confirm specifics with the program you’re considering.

Federal education reporting groups both Oklahoma programs under the same broad “criminal justice and corrections” or adjacent CIP code, but neither school actually calls its degree a “PhD in Criminal Justice.” One trains forensic scientists and lab leaders. The other trains fire service and emergency management administrators. Check the specifics below before assuming either matches what you’re picturing.

Featured Programs:

What’s Happening in Oklahoma’s Criminal Justice System Right Now?

Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections paid guards $35.5 million in overtime in 2025, down slightly from a likely record $37.48 million in 2024, as part of a staffing crisis that’s pushed overtime spending up 361% since 2010 (Tulsa World payroll analysis, via Prison Legal News, 2026). Separately, a federal judge ruled in March 2026 that the state is failing to meet a 2025 consent decree requiring timely mental health treatment for people held in county jails, leaving hundreds of Oklahomans waiting behind bars for care they’re constitutionally owed (High Plains Public Radio, 2026).

If academia is the goal rather than a lab or an agency, criminal justice and law enforcement faculty in Oklahoma earned a median $62,990 per year as of May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, with growth holding roughly flat through 2034 and about 10 average annual openings statewide (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34). That figure describes the occupation broadly, not a specific graduate’s expected pay from either Oklahoma program below.

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 October 2026.

Oklahoma’s Two Doctoral Programs, Side by Side

PhD in Forensic Sciences — OSU Center for Health Sciences (Tulsa)

Applicants must already hold a master’s degree. The program requires 60 credit hours beyond the master’s, including a minimum of 15 hours of dissertation research and a dissertation defense, to be completed within 9 years of admission, with a minimum 3.50 GPA. Core coursework covers Research Design and Methods, Advanced Statistics, and a Forensic Science Seminar, plus a chosen area of emphasis: arson, explosives, firearms and toolmarks, forensic investigative sciences, forensic psychology for investigators, or chemistry and toxicology. Graduates typically move into management roles in a forensic laboratory or law enforcement agency, or into faculty positions in forensic science programs. (OSU Center for Health Sciences, School of Forensic Sciences program pages.)

PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration — Oklahoma State University (Stillwater)

This is a 60-credit-hour program: 15 hours of core courses, 12 hours of research tools, 18 hours of electives, 15 hours of dissertation, plus 9 additional hours in either a fire service administration or an emergency management administration track. It’s delivered mostly online, with a minimum of 9 hours required on the Stillwater campus, often completed through one-week summer courses. Professional or academic experience in fire or emergency services is preferred but not required for admission. Graduates typically move into leadership and administrator roles in fire service, emergency management, EMS, law enforcement, or homeland security, in academic or non-academic settings. (Oklahoma State University, Fire and Emergency Management Administration program pages.)

Confirm current admission requirements, delivery format, and dissertation policy directly with each program before applying. School catalogs and requirements change faster than any outside summary can track.

Doctoral Programs in the Broader Criminal-Justice Family

Per U.S. Department of Education data, two Oklahoma institutions report a doctoral-level program in the broader criminal-justice-and-protective-services CIP family. One is classified under Criminal Justice and Corrections; the other under Fire Protection. Neither label is the program’s actual degree title; see above for what each school actually calls its PhD.

Institution	City	CIP-Classified Area (federal data)	Actual Doctoral Degree
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences	Tulsa	Criminal Justice and Corrections	PhD in Forensic Sciences
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	Stillwater	Fire Protection	PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration

The Forensic Sciences PhD is based on OSU’s Tulsa campus; the Fire and Emergency Management Administration PhD is largely online, with limited required time in Stillwater. Scorecard’s distance-only flag applies at the institution level, not the individual program, so it doesn’t settle delivery format either way. Confirm current enrollment, format, and admission requirements directly with the school before you apply; federal data lags a school’s own catalog.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is either Oklahoma doctoral program literally called a “PhD in Criminal Justice”?

No. Federal CIP-family reporting groups OSU Center for Health Sciences’ PhD in Forensic Sciences and OSU-Stillwater’s PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration under the same broad category, but neither school uses “Criminal Justice” as the degree’s actual title.

Do I need a master’s degree before applying to OSU’s Forensic Sciences PhD?

Yes. OSU Center for Health Sciences requires applicants to already hold a master’s degree before entering the PhD in Forensic Sciences. Admission requirements for the Fire and Emergency Management Administration PhD should be confirmed directly with that program.

Is the Fire and Emergency Management Administration PhD an online program?

Mostly. It’s delivered largely online, with a minimum of 9 hours required on OSU’s Stillwater campus, often completed in one-week summer sessions.

What jobs can these Oklahoma doctoral programs lead to?

Forensic Sciences PhD graduates typically move into management roles in a forensic laboratory or law enforcement agency, or into faculty positions teaching forensic science. Fire and Emergency Management Administration PhD graduates typically move into leadership and administrator roles in fire service, emergency management, EMS, law enforcement, or homeland security, or into academic and research careers. Criminal justice and law enforcement faculty broadly earned a median $62,990 in Oklahoma as of May 2025 BLS data, a separate occupational figure rather than either program’s specific outcome.

Key Takeaways

Two Oklahoma schools, two different degrees – OSU Center for Health Sciences offers a PhD in Forensic Sciences; OSU-Stillwater offers a PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration. Federal CIP-family reporting groups are both under a broad criminal-justice-adjacent label, but neither is literally titled “Criminal Justice.”
Admission and credit requirements are program-specific – The Forensic Sciences PhD requires an existing master’s degree and 60 credit hours with a 3.50 GPA minimum. Confirm the Fire and Emergency Management Administration PhD’s requirements directly with OSU.
Delivery format differs sharply – Forensic Sciences is campus-based in Tulsa; Fire and Emergency Management Administration is largely online out of Stillwater.
Faculty pay is sourced, program outcomes aren’t guaranteed – Oklahoma’s criminal justice and law enforcement faculty earned a median $62,990 in May 2025, but that’s an occupational figure, not a promised outcome of either specific program.

Review both program pages directly before you apply; Forensic Sciences and Fire and Emergency Management Administration lead to different careers and ask for different things on day one. The sponsored programs above and the state finder below are a starting point for comparing what else is out there.

Looking for a Criminal Justice PhD Program in Another State?

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