Master in Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (Master's)

Tuition comes to 25,088 USD per year.

The Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University focuses on crime as deviant behavior and the systems that address it, including private security. It emphasizes a systems approach to policy development, analysis, and equitable justice delivery. Students customize their programs through electives, potentially including internships, directed study, or a master's thesis, with an optional co-op experience for practical work. The program also offers an optional concentration in Cybersecurity for students interested in digital security.

Focus areas include Cybersecurity, Criminal justice process, Victimology, Security management, Criminal law, Juvenile justice.

The program requires 32 semester hours, comprising 16 hours of core courses in criminology, criminal justice, research methods, and statistics, and 16 hours of electives. Students can customize their studies with options like an internship, directed study, master's thesis, or an optional co-op work experience.

Graduates are prepared to assume leadership roles in criminal justice and private security, focusing on policy planning and administration. The program also develops skills for applied research and its implementation, or serves as a foundation for advanced graduate study. The cybersecurity concentration prepares students for roles in ensuring cyberspace reliability and security.

This program is designed for individuals interested in criminal justice and private security, particularly those seeking leadership roles, aiming to conduct applied research, or preparing for advanced graduate studies, including those interested in digital security.

Admission requires a minimum GPA of 3.000. Specific prerequisites, GRE/GMAT requirements, or necessary documents are not detailed on this page.

The programme totals about 32 credit hours. The program can be pursued full-time or part-time. The standard duration is two semesters, extendable to 18 months with an optional 6-month co-op experience. It is offered on-ground in Boston. For international students, tuition is around the median for US programmes.

The Boston campus dates to 1898 and is Northeastern’s founding residential campus. Located within an urban setting, it connects students with Boston’s neighborhoods and industries, as well as universities, institutes, hospitals, and technology and life sciences sectors. Public art, student clubs, recreation, and Huskies athletics contribute to campus life, while the city provides a wider setting for study and daily life.

Students can choose from majors, combined majors, and undergraduate, graduate, and PhD degrees. The campus serves as the heart of Northeastern’s global research enterprise, with collaboration across science, technology, and engineering and research directed toward global impact. The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex provides space for collaboration, and Snell Library offers renovated facilities, technologies, tools, and resources for group work. Marino Recreation Center and Matthews Arena add fitness, recreation, hockey, basketball, and other student facilities.

For international students, Boston is one point in a university network that also includes campuses in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Northeastern lists locations in Arlington, Burlington, Charlotte, London, Miami, New York City, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Toronto, and Vancouver, creating possibilities to live and learn across different cities. The Boston campus offers the broadest range of majors in the network and includes more than 400 student clubs and organizations. In Fall 2022, it had 44,000 total students, including more than 21,000 undergraduates and 18,000 graduate students.