Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Dramatically increase your potential (without setting foot on a campus) through our Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) program.

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program prepares students for entry and advancement in criminal justice related careers. Students will gain advanced knowledge of the justice system and law enforcement process - from police patrol procedures, the courts, terrorism, forensic science, the correctional facilities and the systems of probation and parole. Graduates of the program are prepared to provide leadership in agencies and institutions of the criminal justice system.

The goals of the program are to provide students with the ability to: Evaluate the scientific study of crime, criminals, the law-making process, the criminal justice system, and the treatment of offenders. Develop critical thinking, analytical, and interpersonal skills applicable to real-world problems. Implement innovative solutions for law enforcement, criminal investigation, and management and administration of criminal justice related activities. Achieve career goals and rapid advancement in criminal justice and related fields. Develop the qualifications to advance in administrative and managerial positions in the criminal justice industry or related fields Apply advanced research in the collection and analysis, and reporting of criminal justice related information and empirical data. Develop an advanced understanding of ethical practices and professionalism as they apply in fields of criminal justice. Develop problem solving skills to identify and implement solutions to issues confronting practitioners in areas of criminal justice.

MSCJ Degree Program Admission Requirements:

All candidates must submit a completed application for admission. In addition, candidates are required to provide evidence of a bachelor's degree in the form of official transcripts from an accredited college or university, or an equivalent certified degree from a recognized foreign college or university.

Official transcripts of all previous baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate study must be sent directly to Aspen University by the granting institution(s). A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for transfer credits.

Visit the FAQ page to learn more about our course delivery methods.

Please contact our admissions office if you have any questions about your ability to enroll in the MSCJ Program.

Aspen University's MSCJ degree requirement is the equivalent of 36 credit hours of earned credit:

• 5 Core Courses including a Capstone Course- 3 semester credits each
• 7 Elective Courses- 3 semester credits each

Course Listing

Core Courses (15 credits)

Elective Courses (21 credits - selected from the following courses)

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Course Descriptions:

Core Courses

CJ500 Criminal Law
This course examines the background and foundations of American criminal law, including United States Constitutional requirements, Federal and State court organization and jurisdiction, criminal law basics, and rules of evidence and procedure. It covers in depth various categories of crimes and offenses including assault, homicide, sex offenses, theft, arson, forgery, narcotics, extortion, traffic offences, crimes affecting the judicial process and organized crime.

CJ510 Criminal Procedure
This course provides a clear and legally based exploration of the criminal procedure. It takes an in-depth look at conducting searches and what goes in to obtaining a search warrant, conducting plain view, open fields and consent searches and frisk searches. It covers all aspects of confessions, suspect identifications, and entrapment. This course concludes with pretrial matters and the trail and jury process.

CJ515 Technology in Law Enforcement
This course provides a comprehensive outline of the the use of technology by both criminals and law enforcement agencies. Advanced law enforcement-specific technologies are explored in depth. Topics include wiretaps, surveillance, high-tech crimes, disaster response, and police protection. Ethical and legal implications of technology are explored, as well as technology's place in the community based policing model; and, how technology impacts traditional criminal justice theories.

CJ520 Criminology
This course explores criminology and the factors that affect it including Supreme Court rulings, and governmental policies. This course examines the nature and causes of crime, and the effects of crime on issues of law, community, and law enforcement. Students will explore the nature, extent, and patterns of crime; victims and victimization; and theories of crime causation.

599 Capstone Project
The capstone project allows students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their courses to the work environment. This project is completely individualized; students are encouraged to select work-related projects that are of particular interest to them and that will result in professional growth and benefit the organization.

Elective Courses

CJ530 Law Enforcement Management
This course explores the behavioral aspects of police management, the functional aspects of police management, and issues associated with modern police management. Topics covered include leadership styles, the organizational environment, workforce development, management planning, problem identification, management by objectives, productivity, and fiscal management. Additionally there is focus on special issues including the use of power and force, civil liability, accreditation, ethics, establishing a police presence in schools, and the use of an assessment center for identifying promotion candidates.

CJ535 Crime Scene Investigation
This course covers the skills necessary for gathering evidence from a crime scene and reconstructing what occurred. It starts with the basic search principles necessary for gathering evidence and ways to capture the evidence. It will then go into the different types of evidence present. This includes fingerprint, hair, fiber, glass, paint, soil, arson accelerant, biological fluid stain, firearms, impression, drug, alcohol and document evidence. Finally this course concludes with how to use this evidence to reconstruct the crime.

CJ540 Fingerprinting
With the advances in technology and research into fingerprinting it is important to stay up do date on current developments. This course explores the latest techniques and findings in the science of fingerprinting. It covers how a fingerprint is formed, the techniques necessary for detecting fingerprints on a wide variety of surfaces, how to identify the fingerprint, and issues related to fingerprint evidence.

CJ545 Drug Enforcement
The drug trafficking industry is continually growing and changing making enforcement. This course is deigned to explore drug enforcement through a variety of methods as well as look at those methods used by criminals to avoid detection. We will look at drug investigations in hotels/motels, airports, storage units, trains, commercial busses, parcels and rental vehicles. It also looks at various ways of obtaining information and conducting investigations.

CJ550 Forensic Science
This course covers the comprehensive realm of forensic science or criminalistics as it is commonly known. Case studies are combined with the most current technologies in forensic analysis to instruct students how to properly identify, collect & preserve crime scene evidence. Common items of physical evidence encountered at crime scenes including fingerprint development, document examination, and bullet identification are examined. Students will also explore the history and scope of forensic science and how it is applied to those criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system.

CJ560 Dynamics of Family Violence
Family violence is often difficult to identify and interpret legally. This course is designed to equip law enforcement officials with the necessary information to combat domestic violence by highlighting the role of the police officer and the proper law enforcement response. This course begins by exploring the history, prevalence and causes of family violence. It then examines how to recognize family violence with a focus on child and elder abuse.

CJ565 Use of Forcein Law Enforcement
Hesitation and indecision in deciding when to use force and the amount of force necessary is a threat to the safety of law enforcement personnel. Although most police activities do not involve the use of force, those that do reflect important patterns of interaction between officer and citizen. This course mentally and legally prepares students to use your weapons effectively in a law enforcement role. It addresses such questions as is a force decision legal and necessary, is there any ambiguity in the situation, and is this decision within departmental policy? This course also looks at tactical ability to ensure proper training when the decision to use force has been made.

CJ570 Patrol Procedures
Police Patrol is an important part of the law enforcement process for the protection and safety of the community. By looking at real-life scenarios it prepares students for patrol. This course covers all aspects of patrol including police communications, basic field procedures, traffic direction and enforcement, crimes in progress, preliminary investigations, and reporting and records. It also looks at unusual occurrences, interview techniques, and officer survival and stress reductions.

CJ575 Police Administration
The basic duty of the police administrator is to reduce crime while still holding on to democratic ideals and values in an increasingly diverse culture. This course will delineate the relationship between operations, administration, and auxiliary services. Students will examine the political and professional eras of American policing and how they led to the community era of policing. Students will explore how contemporary factors have contributed to the development of American policing in the last two decades, and how a police administrator's job often conflicts with the values of a democratic society. Students will study the roles of the police executive and the sources of organizational policies that define their roles in crime control, order maintenance, and social service.

CJ580 Terrorism and Homeland Security
The Global War on Terror has posed new challenges for law enforcement organizations to contribute, along with military forces, to the homeland security of the United States. This course examines latest information on the technology, weapons (including weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical), transportation modes of terrorists, and profiles of terrorists themselves. Students will be exposed to the phenomenon of modern terrorism and its characteristics, modus operandi, scope and dissemination throughout the world. Likely trends in 21st Century terrorism and the law enforcement response are also discussed.

CJ585 Corrections
In this course students will study incarcerated terrorist offenders, legal issues in imprisoning terrorists, federal legislation to restrict post-conviction conditions as well as conditions of confinement appeals. Other topics covered include: historical perspectives, the court process, imprisonment alternatives, correctional systems and functions, institutional clients and their rights, reintegration systems, and the future of corrections.

CJ590 Interview & Interrogation
This course will intoroduce students to the basics of interviewing a victim, witness or suspect. It will equip the student with key skills necessary for conducting an interview and explain how to interview while addressing diversity and special needs. By incorporating "hands-on" practice the course will help law enforcement officials in their day-to-day encounters with people.

CJ595 Communications in Law Enforcement
Forensic linguistic analysis evidence can be as important as physical evidence, but often does not receive the same degree of scrutiny by investigators, attorneys and the courts. This course examines how language functions in investigations and the interrogation of suspects. It will examine how law enforcement uses (and misuses) language with examples of real-life experiences and details. Also examined are controversial conversational strategies used by undercover operatives.