Master’s Degrees in Criminal Justice

Become a Leader in Criminal Justice with an MS From BSU

Advance your criminal justice career and help build stronger and safer communities through Bridgewater State University’s master’s in criminal justice program.

Our master’s degree in criminal justice will help you develop leadership and management skills to prepare you to play a vital role in criminal justice administration, practice and research. We offer concentrations in administration of justice, crime and corrections, restorative and transformative justice, and trauma and victim studies to help you specialize your career.

Housed in the Department of Criminal Justice, our PCIPP-approved master’s in criminal justice is led by faculty who have extensive experience in the criminal justice system as attorneys, corrections experts, investigators and law enforcement officers. These thought leaders will be there to guide and mentor you throughout your in-person and select online master’s degree in criminal justice coursework.

What can you do with a master’s in criminal justice?
No matter your career or educational ambitions, you’ll be well prepared to lead in criminal justice roles, or to pursue advanced degrees in criminal justice or law.

Graduate Admissions

Bridgewater State University
Maxwell Library, Room 019
10 Shaw Road
Bridgewater, MA 02325

(508) 531-1300

gradadmissions@bridgew.edu

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Criminal Justice Master's Program Highlights

Professor Michael DeValve sitting in a classroom desk talking with 4 students in his class

Small classes personalized for your success

In our master’s degree in criminal justice program, you will rarely have more than 20 students in any of your classes. You’ll have a variety of opportunities to connect and network with your fellow classmates, as well as BSU faculty and staff. We can help you personalize your learning experience in a criminal justice graduate program to fit your career goals.

Dr. Mia Ortiz teaching class in front of a white board with Criminal Justice class notes on it

A diverse faculty with decades of experience

Our well-respected faculty members are experts in cybercrime, immigration, legal studies, restorative justice, victimization and more. As a graduate student in any of our master’s in criminal justice programs, you’ll benefit from a high level of expertise from faculty who are making an impact in our classrooms as well as our communities through outreach, field work and research.

Criminal Justice student at internship with a bank of screens behind him while he stands holding a packet of papers

An affordable way to advance professionally

BSU has affordable tuition rates for graduate students, including those in the master’s in criminal justice degree program. Our tuition is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. We also offer financial aid in the form of graduate and research assistantships, writing fellowships or the Cullen Scholars Research Award, which is given to a BSU master’s in criminal justice student.

Get ahead on your schedule

Whether you are a full-time or part-time student, you have opportunities to take coursework on campus. We offer some online master’s degree in criminal justice coursework as well. You can finish grad school to qualify for jobs that require an MS in Criminal Justice and advance your career in as little as two years.

Specialties that fit your career interests

You can choose to pursue in-person or online master’s degree in criminal justice coursework. Specialize your studies through our administration of justice degree track or concentrations in crime and corrections, restorative and transformative justice, and trauma and victim studies.

Academic guidance and career support

Every graduate student in our master’s degree in criminal justice program has a faculty advisor who will work with you one-on-one to provide personalized guidance and support. They may also be able to connect you with opportunities for internships, research projects, master’s degree in criminal justice jobs and more.

Finish strong with a completion scholarship

Criminal justice graduate students who maintain a 3.3 GPA may be eligible for BSU’s Nunckatessett Graduate Scholarship, a tuition scholarship of $3,000 to be applied toward the last two courses needed to complete a graduate degree.

Early acceptance option

BSU offers current students enrolled in the BS in Criminal Justice at BSU the opportunity to gain early acceptance into the MS in Criminal Justice program. By meeting certain criteria, early acceptance students can waive the GRE requirement. Learn more about early acceptance »

Program of Study for Criminal Justice Graduate Students

What can you do with a master’s in criminal justice starts with choosing a graduate degree that meets your professional needs. At BSU, we offer four concentrations.

Administration of Justice: Focus on the organizational structure of criminal justice agencies and their jurisdictional authority on the local, state and federal levels. This concentration also examines issues relevant to administrators of criminal justice agencies, including organization, planning and leadership.
Crime and Corrections: Learn about the theoretical frameworks concerning crime and criminal behavior, the methods used to control and prevent crime, treatment options and punishment management and outcomes.
Restorative and Transformative Justice: Gain a fundamental knowledge of the concept of restorative justice that strives to repair relationships between crime victims and offenders and the essential skills to work in this area. You’ll specifically learn about the three pillars of restorative justice — harms and needs, obligations and engagement.
Trauma and Victim Studies: Attain an advanced understanding of crime victimization and trauma along with the skills to work with victims in many aspects of criminal justice agencies, nonprofits and social services agencies.

All of our graduate students in the master’s degree program in criminal justice design and execute a final research project that works with real data, and you’ll also have the option to pursue a thesis.

Admission Requirements and Program Details

Click any link below to reveal each program's admission requirements and program description.

Certificate Programs

Program details from 2024-2025 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

Graduate Program Coordinator: Dr. Feodor Gostjev

Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Jobs

BSU’s in person and online master’s degree in criminal justice coursework prepares you for careers in correctional facilities, criminal investigation, judicial systems, law enforcement, legal firms, postsecondary education and more.

Recent graduates have continued their studies by pursuing PhD programs at Florida International University, Sam Houston State University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee and many others. Recent master’s degree in criminal justice jobs for our graduates have included:

Boston Police, Massachusetts State Police and other local police departments
Community Resources for Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and Department of Youth Services
New York Police Department Analysts
State of Colorado

A master’s degree in criminal justice, on average, will increase your salary by

17%

according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Graduate Funding Opportunities

The College of Graduate Studies provides various opportunities for graduate students to receive funding while working towards their degrees. Appointments are competitive and are determined by undergraduate and/or graduate grade point averages, pertinent experience, educational preparation and interviews. For information on assistantships, fellowships and conference funding awards, please visit our Graduate Funding Opportunities page.

The MS in Criminal Justice program is eligible for unsubsidized student loans and applicants are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. For more specific questions, please visit the Financial Aid Office website or contact them directly at finaid@bridgew.edu.

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