The M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice is an application-oriented degree with required courses in crisis communication; crisis leadership; mental health and first responders; and policy. These distinctive core courses give graduates preparation to serve in leadership roles within law enforcement, government, and non-profits and have knowledge about legal and social problems that plague South Carolina such as addiction, domestic violence, and human trafficking. This master’s degree aims to assist retention efforts of law enforcement officers and help to recruit high-quality officers and specialists into the state’s law enforcement agencies, public safety departments, and correctional institutions.
All courses connect with careers in law enforcement; victim advocacy; and non-profit organizations who work with criminal justice clients. Many organizations want a master’s degree for advancement or promotion. The program will most readily serve two audiences:
(1) law enforcement officers and professionals in government or non-profits connected to criminal justice, social services, homeland security, and public safety; and
(2) students completing an undergraduate degree in criminology, criminal justice, political science, psychology, sociology, or other social science field and wish to pursue a graduate degree for greater skills to begin their career.
What makes our program unique?
This master’s program focuses upon crisis communication, crisis leadership, mental health and first responders, and policy application. Its coursework is designed to enable graduates to better serve as leaders and to gain supervisory authority in their organizations. Coursework has been designed to increase students’ knowledge and analytical capacity about legal and social problems that plague South Carolina such as addiction, domestic violence, and human trafficking.
Program Highlights
Professionals in criminology and criminal justice are in demand, need to be retained as leaders, and are needed to help identify and resolve crises. This degree program has an application-oriented curriculum that showcases best-practices and policy-oriented research to enable leaders to be successful in guiding their agencies and organizations – in law enforcement, government, or non-profit organizations.
Program Objectives:
- Effective communication skills to (1) demonstrate skills as leaders in both crisis and non-crisis situations; (2) communicate research-based and policy-oriented findings to their colleagues in a professional manner
- Enhanced application skills to (1) demonstrate understanding and application of contemporary criminological theory to policy design and implementation; (2) demonstrate understanding and application of leadership principles in both crisis and non-crisis situations; (3) demonstrate application skills in identifying responses by survivors and first responders in crisis situations and in applying knowledge about mental health resources for assistance to these populations
- Enhanced research capacity to demonstrate how to collect and/or interpret data, utilize academic and policy-oriented research; conduct analysis; and communicate findings in a professional paper.
Admission Requirements
Admissions requirements for the M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice degree include:
- B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
- Official transcripts of all coursework must be submitted.
Course credit toward this degree
If an applicant has extensive in-service experience or previous graduate education in a related field, up to 9 credit hours of transfer academic credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis.
Direct any questions to Dr. Lucas McMillan, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences at smcmillan@lander.edu or (864) 388-8275.