Online graduate criminal justice and law degrees

The Master of Arts in criminal justice program online is designed to help students achieve higher-level positions within law enforcement. The program aims to help students understand why crime occurs, its impact on society and how justice is applied.

The curriculum benefits individuals who work in this field or want to transition into it and are seeking advanced job titles or high salaries without having to specialize in a specific area. Studying under nationally recognized experts in policing, fraud, corrections, gangs and courts, graduates can better compete for top positions in law and justice, such as law enforcement administration or public policy.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Applied data analysis.
• Criminology.
• Criminal justice planning.
• Program evaluation.

Possible careers include:

• Criminal investigator.
• Judge.
• Lawyer.
• Police detective.

Increased global terrorism threats and instances of severe weather disasters have created a need for knowledgeable, competent security and emergency management professionals. This demand is exemplified by the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — which was formed in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks — as well as the number of large-scale crimes and natural disasters in 2017 and 2018.

The Master of Arts in emergency management and homeland security (EMHS) online blends emergency management theory with public policy concepts to help enhance students’ critical thinking skills and prepare them to address a wide variety of disaster-related issues. These topics can include crisis organization and management, budgeting, oversight, reporting and more.

Students can emerge from the program ready to assume leadership positions. The knowledge they obtain while earning their degrees can aid them in supporting stronger, more resilient communities that are better equipped to handle times of crisis.

Students may concentrate in one of the following areas:

• Biosecurity and threat management.
• Community resilience.
• Emergency management.
• Homeland security.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Community resilience.
• Information technology in emergency management.
• Terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
• Volunteer resource management.

Possible careers include:

• Emergency management director.
• Emergency medical technician.
• Medical and health services manager.
• Risk management specialist.

Forensic psychology juxtaposes the criminal justice system, human behavior and mental health. Courts often rely on the work of forensic psychologists to help determine a person’s guilt or mental state, as well as to recommend humane punishments or treatments.

Forensic psychologists need a thorough understanding of fundamental legal principles, historical and modern psychological theories, how courts operate and more.

Individuals interested in advancing their forensic psychology careers or transitioning into this field can earn a master’s degree in forensic psychology online from ASU. The program consists of coursework in mental disorder diagnosis and treatment, legal decision-making, and criminal law and behavior.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Courts and sentencing.
• Legal psychology.
• Psychopathology.
• Research methods.

Possible careers include:

• Jury consultant.
• Juvenile offenders counselor.
• Licensed clinical counselor.
• Researcher.

A number of complex security challenges — including international terrorism, election interference and cyberattacks that span across borders — threaten the world today. Global terrorism attacks numbered 1,055 in 2017, and these problems may continue to increase in number as well as complexity in the future. Furthermore, cyberattacks increased greatly that year, with criminals using an expanding number of strategies to achieve their goals.

The Master of Arts in global security online may provide students with the advanced knowledge necessary to address these threats. Utilizing the insights of expert ASU faculty, the global security degree can help students explore the primary causes of conflict, institutional structure, domestic and international response, and theories and policies supporting peace and stability. The courses encourage students to develop their problem-solving skills with a critical, multidisciplinary approach supported by the faculty’s various backgrounds. Educators and lecturers in this program include former National Security Council staff, military advisors, retired general officers, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, human rights advocates, legal scholars and top policymakers.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Comparative studies of conflict.
• Emerging technology and global security.
• Terrorism and insurgency.
• The future of war.

Possible careers include:

• Intelligence consultant.
• Policy analyst.
• Private security manager.
• Risk assessment analyst.

The online Master of Legal Studies is designed for non lawyers to gain a foundation in the U.S. legal system without entering a standard law program. The ASU MLS can help working professionals understand how law intersects with their current or desired professions. It can also help people who regularly interact with lawyers in a professional setting communicate more efficiently.

Students may concentrate in one of the following areas:

• Corporate and health care compliance.
• Criminal law.
• Intellectual property law.
• Law and sustainability.
• Sports law.
• Tribal self-governance.

The program’s intersectional approach can help students apply legal reasoning to a variety of situations and recognize instances where attorney involvement would be advantageous. It may be beneficial for students who work in highly regulated fields, such as human resources, health care, financial services and more.

One of the advantages of the online legal studies degree is that it is designed to give students several career options — rather than only train them to become a lawyer — or reach other specific goals. This outcome makes the program an optimal choice for people who are interested in the legal system but do not wish to make it their primary careers.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Civil procedure.
• Constitutional law.
• Contract law.
• Torts.

Possible careers include:

• Athletic manager.
• Compliance officer.
• Contract manager.
• Patent officer.

Public safety officials who want to assume management and leadership positions in their organizations may benefit from the Master of Arts in public safety leadership and administration online. The curriculum covers complex, 21st-century challenges affecting the ways the next generation of public safety leaders addresses threats in local communities or the nation. Current students and graduates work in public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Students can concentrate in one of the following areas:

• Executive fire administration.
• Executive police administration.
• Emergency medical services — mobile integrated healthcare.

The executive fire administration concentration curriculum covers emergency services operations, fire innovation services, public policy, budgeting, finance and more. Students may also study related topics, such as homeland security, emergency management and emergency medical services.

The executive police administration concentration focuses on helping students develop effective crime reduction strategies, build public trust and support strong communities. The curriculum can teach them about the strategies, structures, partnerships and organizational methods that serve the community.

The emergency medical services — mobile integrated healthcare concentration can help students develop analytical, management, leadership and decision-making skills, preparing them to take high-level roles within EMS agencies.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Human resource management.
• Organizational behavior.
• Public budgeting and finance.
• Public policy.

Possible careers include:

• Chief of police.
• Emergency medical technician.
• Firefighter.
• Paramedic.

The U.S. has a higher portion of its population incarcerated than any other country, but the corrections management and leadership graduate certificate online can help corrections personnel develop the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary to respond to such circumstances and create more effective correctional techniques.

Covering subjects such as criminal justice organization, institutional management, leadership in public agencies and more, the program is designed to provide students with the foundation needed to achieve a higher-level position in their chosen field. People in related disciplines, such as public administration, may also find this program helpful.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Community corrections.
• Prison and jail administration.
• Public management Criminal justice organization and management.

Possible careers include:

• Clinical data manager.
• Mental health counselor.
• Risk management specialist.
• Security specialist.

A collaborative offering from the School of Social Work and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the criminal sentencing and sentencing advocacy graduate certificate online can help students gain a comprehensive overview of sentencing as it pertains to the preservation of justice and the defendant’s best interests. Professionals intending to become or improve their skills as pre-sentence investigators, mitigation specialists or sentencing advocates can benefit from earning this certificate.

Students can learn about different principles of justice, sentencing schemes and court processes. They may also focus on best practices for assessing offenders, writing reports and ethical investigation standards. The lectures and coursework can help students learn ways to manage various types of offenders and properly interact with witnesses, probation officers and others involved with the court system.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Alternatives to penal sanctions.
• Courts and sentencing.

Possible careers include:

• Detective.
• Judge.
• Lawyer.
• Social worker.

Law enforcement officials seeking a more thorough understanding of the criminal justice system may want to complete the law enforcement administration program graduate certificate online. Students can learn about policy development, public agency leadership and challenges managers in law enforcement fields face.

Offered by the College of Public Service and Community Solutions, the online Law Enforcement Administration graduate certificate program provides a cross-disciplinary approach that can help professionals work more effectively with other criminal justice organizations.

Courses cover subjects including:

• Criminal justice organization and management.
• Police accountability Public management.
• Policing.

Possible careers include:

• Compliance inspector.
• Court clerk.
• First-line police supervisor.
• Law enforcement trainer.