Criminal Justice, DCJ
Corrections, Criminology, EVIDENCE BASED, Law Enforcement, Police, Public Safety, Transformation, courts, crime, leadership
As a public safety leader, you understand the challenges in today's criminal justice system. Enhance your expertise with a professional doctorate from a top criminology program. Collaborate with faculty and peers to drive meaningful change within local organizations and the broader community.
The Doctor of Criminal Justice program is a professional doctoral degree that prepares you, as a mid- to senior-level practitioner, to become an expert who combines practical and academic knowledge in your field in ways that equip you to solve complex criminal justice issues.
The DCJ program provides you with state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary education on crime and justice issues. You take a core of required courses on criminological and organizational theory; criminal justice policies, practices and outcomes; inequality in criminal justice; and research methodology and statistics. You also choose from various electives on topics such as critical legal issues, contemporary policy issues, and teaching in criminology. The program prepares you to be a skilled criminology and criminal justice researcher prepared to meet the needs of innovative criminal justice agencies.
ASU Sync
Students on F-1 or J-1 immigration status are not permitted to complete courses via ASU Sync.
Students seeking to use GI Bill® benefits for ASU Sync programs should contact the Pat Tillman Veterans Center regarding certain limitations.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
- College/school:
Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions
- Location: ASU Sync
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
60 credit hours including the required applied project course (CRJ 793)
Required Core (18 credit hours) Restricted Electives (18 credit hours) Electives or Research (18 credit hours) Research (3 credit hours) Culminating Experience (3 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information
CRJ 701 Applied Criminal Justice Policy Analysis: Past to Present (3)
CRJ 702 Applying Criminology and Criminal Justice Theory to Policy and Practice (3)
CRJ 703 Applied Criminal Justice Research Methods and Program Evaluation (3)
CRJ 704 Applied Data Analysis and Interpretation (3)
CRJ 705 Advanced Topics in Crime, Criminal Justice and Inequality (3)
CRJ 706 Organization, Management and Transformational Leadership in Criminal Justice (3)
CRJ 711 Legal Issues in Criminal Justice (3)
CRJ 712 Teaching Criminology and Criminal Justice (3)
CRJ 720 Topics in Methods and Statistics (3)
CRJ 730 Contemporary Policy Issues in Criminal Justice Systems (6)
CRJ 790 Reading and Conference (3)
CRJ 792 Research (3)
CRJ 793 Applied Project (3)
CRJ 730 should be taken at least twice for six credit hours. It may be repeated on different topic for up to twelve total credit hours.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
U.S.
applicants | International
applicants | English
proficiency
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in criminal justice, criminology or a related field from a regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
Applicants are required to submit:
- graduate admissions application and application fee
- official transcripts
- personal statement
- professional resume
- two letters of recommendation
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Admission Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of current residency.
Applicants are required to submit a personal statement on how the DCJ program will help them attain their career goals and why their research and policy interests align with those of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. The personal statement should not exceed five pages.
The letters of recommendation must be from faculty members or others qualified to evaluate the applicant's academic potential for a professional doctoral program.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 07/01 | Final |
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 11/01 | Final |
Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:
- Synthesize advanced knowledge of criminological theory and existing research on criminal justice policy and practice to make original contributions to practical knowledge in the field.
- Apply knowledge about data analytics, research methodology, and related management and leadership skills to generate improved outcomes for crime and public safety problems.
- Produce a final applied capstone project and demonstrate they can effectively communicate the results of this project in writing and orally.
The DCJ program provides a pathway to career opportunities in criminal justice agencies and academic institutions as well as nonprofit, advocacy and research organizations working in the crime and justice space. Graduates can pursue senior leadership opportunities in these areas:
- career-track or non-tenure track faculty positions at colleges and universities
- corrections
- court agencies
- law enforcement
- tenure-track faculty positions in community and junior colleges
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
|
UCENT 600
idpadvising@asu.edu
602-496-0485
Program term definitions
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.

