Prepare yourself to analyze 21st-century problems in crime and criminal justice practices and draw on evidence-based solutions to guide policy decision-making.
Take advantage of our program of distinction.
The University of Baltimore is only the second institution in the nation to have both its undergraduate and graduate programs in criminal justice certified by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (2009-2019).
In 2018, the ACJS Board voted to discontinue its academic program certification efforts, and replaced the certification process with the ACJS Program Endorsement. UBalt will undergo program review for ACJS Program Endorsement eligibility in 2026.
In this 33-credit Master of Science program, you'll:
- apply research theory, methods, planning and statistics to the daily decisions you'll encounter in your work
- interact with field professionals through our partnerships with the Baltimore Police Department, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Governor's Office of Crime Control & Prevention, the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center and other state agencies.
Students choose to specialize in one of six areas:
- courts
- corrections
- justice leadership
- juvenile
- policing
- victim studies.
Your professors will share their practical experience as well as their academic research agendas; some are involved in funded research projects that provide opportunities for students comparable to those generally found in Ph.D. programs. Projects have included:
- a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study on community health, crime and safety
- an analysis of federal probation officer-offender interactions and offender recidivism trends for the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Service
- a Bureau of Justice Assistance's Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program grant to conduct a crime prevention and revitalization project in the McElderry Park neighborhood of East Baltimore in collaboration with the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, the Jacob France Institute and the Baltimore city Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice.
Your fellow students will be a lively mix of criminal justice professionals, community program administrators and service providers, researchers and advocates. Their shared knowledge and aspirations can help propel you to achieve your own goals in this dynamic and challenging field.
Academic Options
Enhance your graduate learning experience with these academic options:
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Earn dual J.D./M.S. degrees in law and criminal justice.
You can complete the master's in criminal justice program as a dual J.D./M.S. in Criminal Justice , allowing you to earn both degrees with 15-18 fewer credits than would be required to earn the two degrees independently.
- Become trauma-informed.
Our 12-credit graduate Trauma-Informed Certificate is designed to provide you with an understanding of trauma and the trauma-informed principles and practices that are key for today's criminal justice professionals.
- Develop your public safety leadership knowledge and skills.
In the 12-credit graduate Public Safety Leadership Certificate program, you'll gain an understanding of the relationship of leadership and organizations relevant to public safety, examine ethical and moral values, and professional responsibilities and decision making as they pertain to public safety, and diagnose real-world public-safety related issues and problems.
- Get foundational training in crime victim services and advocacy.
You'll have the opportunity to attend the Roper Victim Assistance Academy of Maryland training academy recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime for its success in training criminal justice professionals and service providers to interact more effectively with victims of crime.
Student and Alumni Spotlights
Forensic Scientist, Laura Harris, M.S. '10
"After graduating from The University of Baltimore, I was hired by the Maryland State Police, Crime Scene Section and worked there until June 2016 when I was hired by DC Department of Forensic Sciences, Crime Scene Sciences Unit. As a Forensic Scientist in the District of Columbia, I respond to a variety of crime scenes, district police stations and hospitals in order to document scenes, evidence and victims for later presentation in court. In addition to photographing and collecting evidence, I also process scenes and vehicles for contact DNA and other suspected bodily fluids, latent prints, perform alternate light source photography, provide basic blood spatter interpretation, 3D scans of scenes along with a wide variety of other services upon request. My graduate degree from The University of Baltimore provided me with the knowledge of policing and constitutional law that I use every day in order to aid the police in their investigations while ensuring the rights of citizens are not being infringed upon. Additionally, a solid understanding of criminological theory has helped me to understand the ‘why’ behind the crime trends taking place in the District of Columbia. Although I received all of my forensic science training while on the job, the master’s program at UBalt helped me to build a solid foundation of criminal justice knowledge that I built the rest of my career on."
Shaun Gabbidon, M.S. '93, Named Among Decade's Most Influential Criminologists
Shaun Gabbidon, M.S. '93, distinguished professor of criminal justice in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Public Affairs, has been named one of the most influential criminologists of the last decade by Academic Influence, a team of academics and data scientists who aim to provide an objective ranking of people, places, and institutions.
Law enforcement officer Bruce James, M.S. student
UBalt graduate student Bruce James is working toward an M.S. in Criminal Justice. Watch to learn how UBalt is helping him excel in his career as a criminal justice law enforcement officer. Learn more about UBalt's Trauma-Informed Graduate Certificate program.
Contact Us
Heather Pfeifer
program director
email: hpfeifer@ubalt.edu | phone: 410.837.5292
view Prof. Pfeifer's faculty profile
For more information about graduate admission, please contact the Office of Admission at gradadmission@ubalt.edu or 410.837.6565.