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Criminal Justice MPA Online Specialization Overview

Play a Part in the Justice Process

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Mid-Career Track

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Prepare to Advance Your Career in Criminal Justice and Lead in the Public Sector

From law enforcement and the court system to corrections and private security, leadership positions in criminal justice are diverse and in demand. Gain the unique skills and training needed by earning an MPA online with a Criminal Justice specialization from Anna Maria College. In two years or less, you can earn your Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration that will prepare you to become a leader in the field of criminal justice.

Our rigorous criminal justice MPA online curriculum provides the advanced knowledge you need to move your career forward into leadership positions. With a keen focus on public policy, the judicial system, and organizational leadership, the Criminal Justice specialization at Anna Maria College offers you the opportunity to:

  • Study a powerful curriculum infused with emergency management and public policy training
  • Focus on community engagement and partnership development in order to better protect and serve the public
  • Learn from professors with real-world criminal justice experience and gain valuable insights that can propel your career
  • Receive law enforcement leadership training tailored for field agents and justice administrators at the local, state and federal level

Program Details

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Specialized Criminal Justice MPA Curriculum

Anna Maria’s Master’s in Public Administration online degree is built around a core curriculum that is designed to develop your management and leadership skills through an in-depth study of such topics as managerial statistics, strategic planning, and public policy. The specialized criminal justice courses will complement your professional aspirations by showing you how to apply those same management and leadership topics to law enforcement and criminal justice.

Here’s a sampling of the Criminal Justice MPA coursework:

Examines planning models and techniques applicable to public administration. Topics will also include theories of administration, leadership types, group decision-making, the budget process, the role of the work environment and grant writing.

This course will examine the concept of community in public service. The focus will be to explore partnership initiatives with public and private institutions as well as federal, state, and local agencies. Students will review the experiences of diverse agencies in developing, implementing, and maintaining partnerships within local communities. Issues, obstacles, and limitations that are involved with collaborative interventions will be explored.

Facilitates critical thinking about various models and approaches to the delivery of public services. Includes the study of actions, behaviors and attitudes of individuals and interest groups in various agencies in an attempt to understand and assess planning decisions. Develops concepts of political culture, interdependence, jurisdictional disputes and the goals of contemporary justice administration in a democratic society.

Students also have the option of completing either a capstone project or applied research course. If you’re planning to pursue career advancement after graduation, the capstone project will allow you to demonstrate to potential employers your mastery of the topics explored throughout the program and your ability to apply your newfound criminal justice administration skills to real-world situations.

Curriculum Details

Pursue Public Administration Leadership in Criminal Justice Organizations

With specialized criminal justice skills, you’ll gain vital knowledge to obtain a wide variety of leadership roles within the public and private sectors. Whether you intend to serve on the front lines or pursue a public administration role within a law enforcement department or agency, Anna Maria College’s MPA online degree with a specialization in Criminal Justice will prepare you for some of the most in-demand and highest-paying jobs in the criminal justice field. By learning about criminal justice leadership, you’ll acquire the skills necessary for high-level law enforcement professionals and the skills agencies look for when filling supervisory and management roles.

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Gain Knowledge from Top Public Administration Experts

The Criminal Justice faculty at Anna Maria College brings decades of real-world knowledge and experience to the classroom, and is armed with today’s most vital information to help you understand crucial criminal justice practices. Our faculty members include a 26-year veteran of the District Attorney’s Office of Worcester and the former Chief Probation Officer of the Taunton District Court. You will also learn management strategies and techniques from public administration experts that can be directly applied to your criminal justice leadership career.

Impactful MPA Specializations

Professions within the public sector reach far and wide, across many industries. Anna Maria’s online master’s in public administration offers the choice of diverse specializations that give you critical knowledge in your specific area of interest:

Public Administration, MPA: Fire and Emergency Services

Combining foundational management development with an in-depth study of fire and emergency services administration, this specialized degree is a highly valuable credential for aspiring fire and EMS leaders.

Public Administration, MPA: Homeland Security

Students in the Homeland Security online MPA program will learn how to anticipate, prevent and react to situations that threaten the safety and security of the nation, including attacks by foreign and domestic terrorists.

Public Administration, MPA: Emergency Management

The Emergency Management concentration integrates the study of emergency management skills and techniques to produce graduates who are capable of leading during times of crisis.

Public Administration, MPA: General Track

The General Track includes a broad study of public sector management topics and is designed to offer maximum career flexibility for students who could see themselves entering multiple fields after graduation.