Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs in Wisconsin

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

When you consider the goals of the criminal justice industry, the interdisciplinary nature of this field is clear. For example:

• The state of Wisconsin is currently focusing on the prison population, which is growing far more rapidly than the state can sustain (Door County Pulse, 2018).
• Experts are tackling this in a variety of ways, from making addiction treatment and mental health treatment more readily available to changing the values in the prison system.
• Wisconsin has prison costs that are 12% above the national average (Urban Milwaukee, 2018).

The expertise you gain with a master’s in criminal justice in Wisconsin is applicable to many career paths. On average, criminal justice professors earn $68,870 per year and probation officers earn an average of $48,770 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Job openings in these paths are expected to increase 7% and 4% through 2026, respectively (CareerOneStop, 2017).

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

A graduate degree in criminal justice is usually a two-year endeavor, but don’t plan on having summers off as a graduate student. At this level of education, you are generally expected to dedicate your summers to internships and research.

Your practical experience may culminate in an end-of-program project, comprehensive exam, or thesis. The average Wisconsin program requires 33 credits for graduation.

You can earn your 33 required credits by taking core courses and elective classes. The graduate level criminal justice curriculum may include classes similar to these:

• Analysis-Oriented Technology Spatial Data Analysis
• Measuring Crime and Analyzing Crime Date
• Issues in Law Enforcement Practice and Policy
• Perspectives on Crime and the Criminal Justice System
• Administration of Criminal Justice Systems
• Analysis of Criminal Justice Research

Though certain core courses are required of all criminal justice graduate students, quite a few are determined by the graduate specialty you decide to pursue. Some of the graduate specialties available in Wisconsin include fraud management, criminal justice administration, executive crime management, homeland security, and behavioral analysis.

Tuition in Wisconsin is on par with graduate tuition in other Midwestern states. Reported tuition rates range from $640 per credit hour to $1,500 per credit hour. Tuition rates are generally lowest for Wisconsin residents and highest for out-of-state students. Through Minnesota reciprocity, Minnesota students enjoy lower tuition rates than other out-of-state students. Organizations like the Wisconsin Professional Police Organization fund scholarships for master’s degree students.

Earning a master’s degree in criminal justice in Wisconsin can greatly expand your career options and propel you onto a leadership path in this field. Furthermore, you can go to work knowing that the work you do makes society safer and more just.

Request information from Wisconsin criminal justice programs today.

Online programs may not be available in all areas.