The joint J.D./M.S. in Criminal Justice program combines the Juris Doctor with the study of the criminal justice system. Criminal justice students come from many backgrounds, including law enforcement, field administration, planning, research, and casework, allowing you to gain insight into the criminal justice system not only through faculty, but from your classmates as well.
How it works:
- You'll complete a minimum of 78 credits in law school and a minimum of 30-33 credits in the M.S. program.
- The UBalt School of Law recognizes 9 credits of the criminal justice requirements as transferable to its program (or 6 credits if the degrees are not completed within the same academic year), and the College of Public Affairs reciprocally allows the transfer of up to 9 credits of law school courses to satisfy coursework requirements in the M.S. program.
- You'll begin master’s program work during the summer preceding enrollment in the law school or during the summer after finishing the first year of law school, but you can't take courses within the master’s program during the fall and spring semesters of the first year of law school.
Applying and admission:
- Apply to and meet the admission standards of both the School of Law and the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program separately:
- You can apply to the dual-degree program after having enrolled in either the J.D. or the M.S. program; however, to obtain the full benefit of credit sharing, criminal justice students should enter the law school program no later than after the completion of 15 credits in the M.S. program.
For more information, see the Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Criminal Justice (J.D./M.S.) section in the UBalt Graduate Catalog.
If you're interested in applying, contact:
- Office of Law Admissions, lawadmissions@ubalt.edu or 410-837-4459
- Heather Pfeifer, director, M.S. in Criminal Justice.