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Guide to Master's Degree

How to Get a Master's Degree in Justice Administration

Combine your existing skills and experience with a master's degree in justice administration. Whether you have years of administrative or management experience or you're hoping to take your first steps up the criminal justice career ladder, consider this specialized master's degree program. Graduates go on to a range of careers, including:

Justice administration master's degree programs are generally created for working professionals with experience in the field, though some academic programs welcome those with more educational experience than career history. Learn more about how you can earn a justice administration master's degree and take your career in a new direction.

How to Earn a Master's Degree in Justice Administration

Your research process in justice administration master's degrees begins long before you start filling out school applications. Learn more about the range of justice administration degrees available, seek out schools and accreditation information, and start your degree search with confidence using this helpful guide.

If you're just beginning to plan your graduate study, check out WorldWideLearn.com's resources. When you're ready to begin considering justice administration degrees specifically, you can start researching and learning more about potential degree options.
First, you should know the basics about justice administration degrees.

Step 1: Consider Justice Administration Master's Degree Options

The first step of your research process is to learn more about the types of degrees you can earn in justice administration. Far from a one-size-fits-all degree, you can find vastly different justice administration programs as you browse different schools. Consider the most popular distinctions:

This broad-based master's degree focuses on the theory behind justice administration and may be a good option for students who intend to advance to a doctoral program or a professional career.

Another academic degree, the master of science draws its lessons from a research-based standpoint. Graduates may consider research or more education in addition to professional careers.

This professional degree is personalized to the justice administration field. Graduates may go on to research, governmental work, and other law enforcement and criminal justice positions.

This professional degree focuses on the management aspects of justice administration. Most MJM programs can be found in business or criminal justice departments.

All of these degrees are considered academically equivalent, and choosing one over the other does not necessarily change your career scope. It's important to learn more about the programs that offer the justice administration degree.
You might find justice administration degree programs or specialties within the following departments:

Again, your specific goals as a student can help guide your choice of major and degree program. Be aware that you might find your ideal degree program within a more general or broad-range department. It's important to examine the coursework, requirements, and other information about each potential justice administration degree. For more information, see WorldWideLearn.com's Finding the Right Program guide.

Step 2: Explore Specialties Within Justice Administration Master's Degrees

Many justice administration program specialties may be found within public administration degrees. Similarly, each department and degree program may include specialization opportunities for students of justice administration. Take a look at a few popular specializations within justice administration master's degrees:

These degrees each offer a different experience to you as a student. Choose among programs that offer the training that can most benefit your future career. For example, if you're considering a high-level security administration job in a retail center, a justice administration degree focusing on executive management and leadership might offer a close match to your needs.

Step 3: Think About Campus-Based and Online Master's Degree Programs

After you have considered the scope of degrees and specializations related to the justice administration master's degree, you can begin thinking about different ways to earn the degree itself. Campus-based and online master's degree programs in justice administration offer unique benefits:

Earn a master's degree online and enjoy the convenience of logging on from anywhere in the world to pursue your justice administration studies. Students who must travel with work or the military often benefit from this course model. See WorldWideLearn.com for more information on how online classrooms work.

If you'd prefer the face-to-face interaction of a campus degree, consider campus-based programs in schools across the country. Hands-on research opportunities and library access are just a few benefits of on-campus master's degree programs in justice administration.

As with specializations within the major and the major itself, no one degree delivery method is inherently superior over the other. Choose an educational mode that suits your personality and needs. Elements like learning style come into play: For more information on different learning styles, see WorldWideLearn.com's informative guide. Whichever style of education you do choose, make sure it's a good fit for your lifestyle and preferences.

Step 4: Establish a List of Potential Justice Administration Programs

After you have fully considered your preferences and basic options for justice administration degrees, you can start to compile a list of potential master's degree programs in justice administration. You may choose to broaden your search to include criminology, criminal justice, and other departments or majors, or you might keep your focus narrow on justice administration in particular. Regardless of how you search, use these resources to begin:

Consider rankings, lists, and other resources online to help with your search for the best justice administration master's degree programs. It's important to establish a long initial list, which you can then begin to narrow down while you discover more details about the schools and your own preferences. Before you can focus your list, however, you need to consider the quality of education you can receive from each school.

Step 5: Determine Current Accreditation Status of Each School

The simplest way to make sure each school on your list can offer a quality education is to confirm each school's accreditation status. The process of accreditation requires a third-party accrediting agency to examine a school based on important attributes like:

Even if you recognize the name of a school, it's important to make sure that the school holds current accreditation. Learn more about accreditation on WorldWideLearn.com. You can find many benefits in attending an accredited school for your justice administration degree. Among them:

Confirming accreditation is important, and it's easy to do. Simply use the U.S. Department of Education's database to search for justice administration schools. Your search can be completed by location, school, or accrediting agency. Taking this extra step is worth the time you spend, as it can help give you peace of mind that your future degree is likely to be valuable and respected.

Step 6: Focus Your Justice Administration Master's Degree Program List

After you've confirmed that each school on your list is accredited, you should still have a long list of justice administration master's degrees that suit your basic needs in terms of major, degree delivery type, and specialization. Next, it's time to narrow down your list based on more specific qualifications. Think about the following categories in terms of each school on your list:

Each justice administration degree program has its own requirements for students. Be prepared to provide transcript information, GRE or TOEFL scores, a resume, professional recommendation letters, and other materials. For more on graduate school test preparation, see WorldWideLearn.com's informative guide.

If you're planning to attend an on-campus school, think about the school's location as if you were looking for a job. Look for local, state, and national law enforcement agencies and other potential career opportunities. The more jobs you find in the area, the more luck you may have finding internships and paid positions later on.

Think about the potential tuition, fees, and cost of living issues with each school. Additionally, consider financial aid like scholarships, teaching stipends, and federal aid, including loans and grants. Find more information about financial aid in the U.S. on WorldWideLearn.com.

Consider the faculty in each justice administration department. Seek out faculty publication records and biographies. When you apply, try to choose programs that have a well-rounded faculty over one or two strong choices; if a few faculty members leave, you can still feel satisfied with your education.

Lastly, consider the extras offered by each justice administration department. You might be encouraged to complete a community internship, perform engaging research, or teach. Think about these extras when you are at the point where you need to cut just a few more schools from your list.

Personalize your justice administration master's degree to your preferences and needs. After you have carefully considered the various elements of each justice administration program, you know more about each school option and more about the degree itself. After completing this step, you can begin your application process to the strongest schools on your list.

Step 7: Apply for Justice Administration Master's Degree Programs

By the time you reach this final step, you should be ready to apply to the best justice administration master's degree programs for you as a student. Whether you hope to earn a master's degree online or attend a campus-based program, you must determine the detailed application procedures as you apply to each school. As you start your applications, keep the following in mind:

Get ready to provide materials ranging from resumes to letters of recommendation, transcripts to graduate test scores. Each justice administration program may be different; contact individual schools for more information.

Write each justice administration application with the individual school in mind. Some schools may put more weight on academic achievements, while others are more interested in work experience. Department chairs are more likely to be impressed with your application if they can tell you grasp the personality behind their department.

Each justice administration department application is likely to have different deadlines. Keep your application process organized with a calendar or day planner.

Learning about different justice administration programs beforehand helps you save time and money on applications. Plus, you are more likely to attend a college or university that offers training to match your goals. This research process takes time and effort as you carefully consider each school, but your reward comes when you can confidently apply to your strongest justice administration master's degree programs.
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Virginia College

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AIU Online

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