Criminal Justice (M.S.)
Important: This degree plan is effective for those starting this degree program in fall 2025 through summer 2026. This degree plan will remain in effect for students who do not break enrollment or who do not change degree programs, concentrations, or cognates.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Program Courses | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| CJUS 500 | Criminal Justice Integration | 3 |
| CJUS 520 | Administration of Justice Organizations | 3 |
| CJUS 530 | Human Resource Management in Criminal Justice Organizations | 3 |
| CJUS 550 | Topics and Trends in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJUS 601 | Criminal Justice Program Evaluation 1 | 3 |
| CJUS 610 | Leadership, Ethics and Policing 1 | 3 |
| Elective Courses 2,3 | ||
| Choose 12 credit hours of elective courses | 12 | |
| Thesis or Elective Courses 4 | ||
| CJUS 688 | Thesis Proposal | 3 |
| CJUS 689 | Thesis Research 5,6 | 3 |
| CJUS 690 | Thesis Defense | 0 |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
May register for CJUS 601 and CJUS 610 after successfully completing 12 hours of graduate level CJUS courses.
- 2
Public Safety Professionals who graduate from a National or Regional Command College and who have received graduate credit from a regionally accredited sponsoring university, and who have not previously used such credit for a degree may transfer up to 12 hours of graduate credit associated with the Command College to the Master of Science in Criminal Justice as Experiential-Learning credit.
- 3
Choose from the following courses: Any 500-600 level course offered by the Helms School of Government. Other 500-600 level courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- 4
Students may take two elective courses3 instead of CJUS 688, CJUS 689, & CJUS 690.
- 5
Any student who is not ready for enrollment in CJUS 690 after completing CJUS 689 may be required, as determined by the student’s thesis chair, to repeat CJUS 689 until deemed ready for enrollment in CJUS 690.
- 6
While CJUS 689 may be taken more than once, only one enrollment in the course will be permitted to count toward degree requirements.
All applicable prerequisites must be met
Graduation Requirements
- Complete 36 hours
- A maximum of 50% of the program hours may be transferred if approved and allowable, including credit from an earned degree from Liberty University on the same academic level
- 3.0 GPA
- No more than two grades of C may be applied to the degree (includes grades of C+ & C-)
- No grade of D or below may be applied to the degree (includes grades of D+ & D-)
- Degree must be completed within 5 years
- Submission of Degree Completion Application must be completed within the last semester of a student’s anticipated graduation date
Program Offered in Online Format
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| CJUS 500 | Criminal Justice Integration | 3 |
| CJUS 520 | Administration of Justice Organizations | 3 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CJUS 530 | Human Resource Management in Criminal Justice Organizations | 3 |
| CJUS 550 | Topics and Trends in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJUS 601 | Criminal Justice Program Evaluation 2 | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Third Semester | ||
| CJUS 610 | Leadership, Ethics and Policing 2 | 3 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| CJUS 688 | Thesis Proposal 3 | 3 |
| CJUS 689 | Thesis Research 3,4 | 3 |
| CJUS 690 | Thesis Defense 3,4 | 0 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Choose from the following courses: Any 500-600 level course offered by the Helms School of Government. Other 500-600 level courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- 2
May register for CJUS 601 and CJUS 610 after successfully completing 12 hours of graduate level CJUS courses.
- 3
Students may take two elective courses1 instead of CJUS 688, CJUS 689, & CJUS 690.
- 4
Any student who is not ready for enrollment in CJUS 690 after completing CJUS 689 may be required, as determined by the student’s thesis chair, to repeat CJUS 689 until deemed ready for enrollment in CJUS 690.