Many master's in criminal justice degrees come with certain prerequisite requirements and academic expectations. Most of these degree programs expect students to have an undergraduate degree or possess professional experience in a related field.
The Most Common Prerequisite
Anyone who hasn’t taken criminal justice prerequisites will still be encouraged to apply and be admitted to the degree program. These students may need to take some of the prerequisite courses before they start graduate courses or during the summer before they begin graduate study. The most common prerequisite class will be something like Introduction to Criminal Justice or Criminal Justice 101. This course will introduce the basics of criminology and criminal justice in the United States. Some colleges allow students to waive this prerequisite requirement by taking a qualifying exam to demonstrate their understanding of the criminal justice system. Some degree programs may require students to have taken classes related to law, communication, the legal system or …show more content…
Criminology research and statistics classes may sometimes only be taken if the student has already completed the equivalent undergraduate-level coursework. These are usually a social scientific course in fields like sociology, psychology or political science. Not all undergraduate courses may be accepted for certain criminal justice classes. While an advanced statistics class from a math teacher does teach important knowledge, it lacks the crucial elements found in criminology research. Some graduate-level criminal justice programs expect students to have an accredited bachelor’s degree in a related social science field. They may also expect students to submit GRE or GMAT