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A master’s in criminology is where the research side of the field opens up. Programs are awarded as an MA or MS in Criminology, as an MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice, or as a criminology concentration inside a sociology master’s – and, as at the undergraduate level, the required course list tells you more than the diploma text does. The degree serves three distinct audiences: practitioners moving toward supervision and policy work, career-changers entering the field from another discipline, and students preparing for doctoral study and research careers.
That third audience matters for how you read salary information about this field. The sociologist occupation, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports had a median annual wage of $106,030 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), typically requires a master’s at minimum, and research and faculty positions commonly require a doctorate. A master’s is a step on that path rather than the end of it.
This page explains how these programs are structured, how thesis and applied tracks differ, what admissions expects, and what to compare across schools.
It is a graduate social-science program that builds advanced training in criminological theory, research design, and quantitative analysis of crime and justice data, delivered through online coursework. Most programs conclude with either a thesis or an applied capstone.
MA in Criminology and MS in Criminology are the most direct titles. Equivalent training also appears as an MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice, an MS in Criminal Justice with a research emphasis, or a sociology master’s with a criminology concentration. Compare required course lists rather than titles.
Typically 30 to 36 semester hours, commonly one to two years full-time and longer part-time. Programs designed for working practitioners often stretch across three years at a reduced course load.
Most assume an undergraduate statistics course and some prior social-science methods exposure. Applicants from unrelated majors are frequently admitted, sometimes conditionally or with required bridge coursework in statistics or theory. Confirm the specific expectations before applying.
A thesis track culminates in original research supervised by a faculty member and is the necessary preparation for doctoral study. An applied or capstone track culminates in a substantial policy or program-evaluation project and generally fits practitioners better. Many programs offer both, and the choice is harder to reverse late in the program than students expect.
No. Criminology is not a licensed profession. If you want a clinical license for counseling or case management, that pathway runs through social work or counseling rather than criminology.
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| Course Topic | What You Learn |
|---|---|
| Advanced Criminological Theory | Comparative evaluation of theories, their empirical support, and their policy implications |
| Research Design | Formulating researchable questions, causal inference, experimental and quasi-experimental designs |
| Advanced Statistics | Multivariate regression, logistic and count models, and the methods used in published criminological research |
| Crime Data and Measurement | Official reporting programs, victimization surveys, self-report data, and the limits of each |
| Program and Policy Evaluation | Designing and interpreting evaluations of interventions in policing, courts, and corrections |
| Corrections, Sentencing, and Reentry | Sentencing structures, community supervision, and what the recidivism literature supports |
| Victimology and Specialized Offending | Advanced study of victimization, white-collar, organized, and cyber-enabled crime |
| Thesis or Applied Capstone | Original research, or an evaluation project taken from question to defended recommendation |
Outcomes vary by program, but you can compare:
For pacing and delivery comparisons, see: How Online Criminology Degrees Work
Requirements vary by school, but most programs require a completed bachelor’s degree with a competitive GPA, transcripts, a resume, a statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation. Many online programs are test-optional, though programs that fund students or feed doctoral pipelines are more likely to still ask for the GRE.
Applicants coming from outside criminology and sociology are common and generally welcome – psychology, political science, social work, public administration, and law enforcement backgrounds all appear in these cohorts. What programs actually check is whether you can handle the statistics. If your undergraduate record has no quantitative coursework, expect either a bridge requirement or a recommendation to complete a statistics course first, and ask admissions directly rather than inferring it from the catalog.
If you intend to continue to a doctorate, say so in the statement of purpose and ask what proportion of recent graduates were admitted to PhD programs. Programs vary enormously on this, and the answer tells you whether the thesis track is genuinely supported or nominally offered.
A bachelor’s in criminology is the working entry credential for probation, correctional treatment, victim services, juvenile work, and entry-level analysis. A master’s is what moves you toward research and policy analysis positions, agency leadership, teaching at the community college level, and doctoral study. It is also the standard route for someone entering the field from another discipline who needs the theory and methods foundation compressed into two years.
Compare degree options:
For a value and fit discussion, see: Is an Online Criminology Degree Worth It. For the applied side of the field, see the Criminal Justice Program Guide.
Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Criminology Degrees: Programs & Careers (2026)
