Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs in Rhode Island

As a criminal justice professional or as a member of society, you are directly impacted by the running of the justice industry. In Rhode Island, the justice system doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s influenced by the systems of other New England states, the federal justice system, and societal beliefs. High-level criminal justice professionals direct and oversee the course of the field.

What Can I Do With My Master’s in Criminal Justice in Rhode Island?

Your Bachelor’s degree, whether in criminal justice or another field, is the stepping stone to the next stage of your career. Contact criminal justice master’s programs in Rhode Island to learn more.

Featured Online Criminal Justice Programs

Like many other New England states, Rhode Island has many strong research facilities. In fact, the state recently invested $500,000 in a criminal justice research facility (Rhode Island Public Radio, 2015). Furthering your education in this setting is ideal if you want to work in research at some point in your career.

Professionals in Rhode Island have achieved many impressive goals in this industry (Inside Philanthropy, 2015). Recent reforms have placed prisoners in less restrictive forms of custody in hopes of breaking the cycle of reincarceration. Rhode Island has been so successful that it is being used as a model for other states with the same long-term goals.

You may utilize a master’s in criminal justice in Rhode Island in a variety of ways. Currently, police supervisors in this state earn an average income of $90,630 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). Criminal justice professors claim a median salary of $64,990 per year nationwide (CareerOneStop, 2022).

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Rhode Island contained here reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2023.

What Will It Take to Earn My Criminal Justice Graduate Degree in Rhode Island?

As you compare different schools that offer a Master of Science criminal justice in Rhode Island, consider comparing program outcomes and learning goals. Program outcomes make it easy to figure out areas of strength in a program and how you can expect to grow as a graduate student.

Schools in Rhode Island often want to prepare students with a strong understanding of criminal justice research, the ability to design and carry out research, a background in criminal justice procedures, and an expansion of critical thinking skills.

From there, you can look at each school’s criminal justice curriculum. Through the curriculum, you can see exactly how a school tries to help its students reach the program’s learning goals. These classes tend to cover different facets of the industry, unless you choose a specialized graduate program.

In your curriculum, look for criminal justice courses like:

Survey of Research Methods
Legal Issues in the U.S. Justice System
Criminological Theory
Crime and Public Policy
Analysis of Criminal Justice Data
Criminal Procedure—Investigation
Seminar in Domestic Violence

There is a huge range of tuition rates in Rhode Island, so you should do your research before committing to one program. Reported tuition rates range from $370 per credit to $1700 per credit. Some of these differences come from resident and nonresident tuition rates, while others come from private and public school tuition rates.

Each school has its own financial aid system, but you can also look into privately funded scholarships like the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association Scholarship.

Are you ready to start a career that helps you make a difference every day? If you are, use our list of schools below to request information on earning a Master of Science in criminal justice in Rhode Island.