Graduate Education in Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice Program offers graduate programs that lead to a master of arts and a Ph.D. in criminal justice.

Both the M.A. and Ph.D. are designed to offer students a complete overview of the criminal justice system, criminological theory, and methods of analysis. The department is large enough to offer the range of specializations necessary for a flexible graduate program, yet small enough to retain a sense of community between students and faculty.

Graduates of the master's degree program often enter law school, Ph.D. programs, or are successful in finding employment in local, state, and federal agencies. Recent graduates have been employed by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Energy, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Unit, Washington State Department of Corrections, Washington State Sentencing Commission, Port of Seattle Police Department, Spokane Police Department, Benton/Franklin County Juvenile Court, and many other agencies. Several students from the master's degree program remain within the department to pursue their Ph.D., while others have been admitted to Ph.D. programs at the University of Cincinnati, University of Minnesota, American University, The Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Indiana.

Students who have completed their Ph.D. in criminal justice are active scholars and teachers working at a variety of universities across the country. Our recent graduates are on the faculty at Arizona State University, Boise State University, California State University–Sacramento and San Bernardino, Michigan State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Arkansas State University, Weber State University, Western Oregon University, University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Nevada–Reno.