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M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration

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M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration (MSJCA) Overview

With our Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, we focus on leadership development, offering students rigorous and engaging coursework on management, personnel administration, program evaluation and research methods. All of our instruction is grounded in civil and criminal judicial theory and practice, preparing students for careers or advanced education in law enforcement, homeland security, private security, corrections or law.

We offer three different tracks:

Generalist Track: Offered in traditional on-campus courses or through an online program, and aims to give students a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of the entire criminal justice system, including law enforcement and corrections.

Correctional Track: Primarily designed for corrections professionals seeking advancement. Courses specific to this concentration include Correctional Management & Administration, Inmate Rights, and Contemporary Issues in Corrections.

Law Enforcement Track: Geared toward working law enforcement professionals seeking advancement to leadership roles. This 36-credit program includes six required for completion of this concentration, including Terrorism & Justice and Criminal Evidence.

$5,000 Graduate Scholarship
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Contact Us

SAMANTHA KAWAMOTO
Senior Admissions Counselor, Online & Graduate Programs
samantha.kawamoto@chaminade.edu
graduate@chaminade.edu
(808) 739-8523

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MSCJA Info Session

Entry Terms

Spring 2021
Begins April 12, 2021
Apply by March 26, 2021

Summer 2021
Begins July 6, 2021
Apply by June 18, 2021

“I was able to take classes with people who were professionals, a lot of military members who did various things and were able to contribute to whatever we were studying academically. Hearing from their first-hand experience gave me a whole other level of learning.
Melanie Legdesog Veltri ’06, MSCJA ’08
Deputy Public Defender, State of Hawaii
“People are all very passionate and are willing to have discussions even if you have contradicting beliefs. Everyone has been very respectful, even if they have a different opinion.”
Shekina Boling
MSCJA ’21
“It [MSCJA program] has helped me with my writing skills and just kind of opening my eyes to what’s out there in the new age of corrections and law enforcement. With a lot of things that we do at the Bureau, I really see how they come out from laws that have passed or grievances that have gone to the supreme court.”
Lysa Rutledge ’00, MSCJA ’20
Federal Bureau of Prisons in Hawai’i

Program Delivery

100% online, on-campus or hybrid

Time To Completion

Finish in as few as 18 months

Total Credit Hours

36 Credits

Online Instruction

Generalist Track
Correctional Track
Law Enforcement Track

In-Person Instruction

Generalist Track
Correctional Track
Law Enforcement Track

Upon completion of the M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration, students will be able to:

  1. Apply the primary concepts and assumptions of the traditional and contemporary theories of addressing crime. 
  2. Identify and critique efficient criminal justice standards while recognizing basic rights guaranteed to each individual both by state and federal constitutions and laws.
  3. Examine the problems associated with ethical administrative decision-making. 
  4. Integrate issues of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and social class and identify how they affect the criminal justice system in terms of understanding social causes of crime.
  5. Develop and apply research methods as used in the social sciences, with a particular emphasis on the basic skills necessary to conduct (and direct) research in criminal justice agencies.  
  6. Engage the Marianist tradition of education for service, peace, and justice as it pertains to local and national social justice, injustices, and inequities in the criminal justice field.

Core Courses

  • CJA 602 Agency Administration
  • CJA 604 Constitutional Law
  • CJA 605 Criminology
  • CJA 606 Research Methods
  • CJA 766 Ethics in Criminal Justice and Public Administration
  • CJA 770 Hostage Negotiations
  • CJA 790 Survey Research Methods and Statistics
  • CJA 791 Capstone

Generalist Track Requirements

  • Choose one:
    • CJA 610 Law Enforcement
    • CJA 612 Correctional Management & Administration
  • Choose one:
    • CJA 706 Managing Criminal Investigations
    • CJA 708 Terrorism & Justice
  • Choose one:
    • CJA 722 Inmate Rights
    • CJA 761 Inmate Reentry and Registration
  • Choose one:
    • CJA 740 Community Corrections, Probation, & Parole
    • CJA 760 Contemporary Issues in Corrections
  • Choose one:
    • CJA 780 Criminal Evidence
    • CJA 781 Courtroom Evidence
  • One CJA Elective Course

Core Courses

  • CJA 602 Agency Administration
  • CJA 604 Constitutional Law
  •  CJA 605 Criminology
  • CJA 606 Research Methods
  • CJA 766 Ethics in Criminal Justice and Public Administration
  • CJA 770 Hostage Negotiations
  • CJA 790 Survey Research Methods and Statistics
  • CJA 791 Capstone

Correctional Track Requirements

  • CJA 612 Correctional Management & Administration
  • CJA 722 Inmate Rights
  • CJA 740 Community Corrections, Probation, & Parole
  • CJA 760 Contemporary Issues in Corrections
  • CJA 761 Inmate Reentry and Reintegration
  • One elective CJA course

Core Courses

  • CJA 602 Agency Administration
  • CJA 604 Constitutional Law
  • CJA 605 Criminology
  • CJA 606 Research Methods
  • CJA 766 Ethics in Criminal Justice and Public Administration
  • CJA 770 Hostage Negotiations
  • CJA 790 Survey Research Methods and Statistics
  • CJA 791 Capstone

Law Enforcement Track Requirements

  • CJA 610 Law Enforcement
  • CJA 706 Managing Criminal Investigations
  • CJA 708 Terrorism & Justice
  • CJA 780 Criminal Evidence
  • CJA 781 Courtroom Evidence
  • One elective CJA course
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$6,180*

Per Term
(4 terms a year)

$6,390*

Per Term
(4 terms a year)

18 Months

Time to Completion
(full-time student)

*2020-2021 cost above is based on full-time status of six credits (typically two courses) at $1,030 per credit hour, effective July 1, 2020. Does not include fees, books and supplies.

Graduate Admissions

Graduate Admission Requirements

Academic Course Catalog

Graduate Course Schedule