Careers with a Master's in Criminal Justice
An Online Master’s for Career Advancement
100% Online Coursework
Two Capstone Courses
- Complete your courses 100% online and on your schedule
- No GRE/GMAT or application fee required for admission
- Receive guidance from faculty who are experts in the field
Complete Methodist University’s 100% online MS in Criminal Justice to gain a holistic view of the behavior, conditions, and circumstances that produce crime and criminality. Study under the guidance of MU’s faculty to develop a social science perspective on criminal justice and graduate with the skills needed to advance in your career.
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Qualify for Leadership Roles in Criminal Justice
First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives1 $101,750 per year
Federal Special Agent2 $96,239 per year
Police Chief3 $91,999 per year
Detective4 $77,270 per year
Lead Efforts to Protect Your Community
Completing Methodist University’s 100% online MS in Criminal Justice will prepare you to advance in the ranks of law enforcement professionals. You’ll gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in all levels of federal, state, and local correction systems.
With the specialized knowledge you’ll gain under the guidance of MU’s expert faculty, you’ll be ready to pursue leadership positions in criminal justice and guide endeavors to improve and enhance law enforcement efficacy in your community.
- Expect 63,000 job openings for police and detectives each year through 2033.4
- The median salary for probation officers is $64,520 per year.5
Program Outcomes and Skills Acquired
What You’ll Learn
After completing the MS in Criminal Justice, you will be able to:
- Identify key components of the juvenile system and differentiate them from the adult system.
- Trace the historical development of the juvenile system and identify future changes and areas of growth.
- Identify areas of policy strength and growth pertinent to administrative leadership in the field.
- Articulate and contextualize contemporary policing issues within a defined ethical framework.
- Develop correctional research agendas and explore classroom applications.
Skills You’ll Gain
- Correctional Practices
- Cybercrime Practices
- Data Analysis
- Digital Forensics
- Juvenile Justice
- Modern Policing Strategies
- Research
Ensuring Your Success Beyond Graduation
From the moment you become a student at Methodist University, you’ll have access to the support needed to obtain career readiness skills, internships, employment, and other career opportunities. And you can tap into a wide variety of career services long after you’ve graduated.
Here are just a few examples of what you can expect for career support as a student or alumnus. You can benefit from all of them remotely.
Sources
- “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023 – 33-1012 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2025, from “https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes331012.htm.”
- “Average Special Agent (Federal) Salary.” Payscale. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2025, from “https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Special_Agent_(Federal)/Salary.”
- “Average Police Chief Salary.” Payscale. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2025, from “https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Police_Chief/Salary.”
- “Police and Detectives.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2025, from “https://www.bls.gov/ooh/Protective-Service/Police-and-detectives.htm.”
- “Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2025, from “https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/probation-officers-and-correctional-treatment-specialists.htm.”