Community-Law Enforcement Relations Track

Be on the forefront of a new era in criminal justice. As policing models shift toward protecting the public by solving community issues, our new Community-Law Enforcement Relations track prepares criminal justice professionals to initiate and develop community based programming. As a graduate of this program, you will be equipped with the tools, strategies, and unique perspectives needed to be a leader and create positive change within your community. 

The M.A. in Criminal Justice Community-Law Enforcement Relations track is a 30-credit program that consists of seven core courses and two social work electives, plus an additional criminal justice or homeland security course of your choice. Your core classes will cover foundational areas of criminal justice and social work, including advanced criminology, leadership and management, and program planning and evaluation, and global community practice.

Our wide variety of criminal justice and social work elective options allow you to tailor this program to your specific goals and passions while gaining practical, first-hand experience. Topics like grant writing, which teaches you to research, write, and submit proposals that implement institutional reform, will set you apart in the law enforcement field. Other areas of interest may include suicide prevention, working with trauma in child welfare, addiction, domestic violence, and more.

Career Opportunities

As policing in the United States continues to move toward a community-based model that focuses on solving issues through prevention and de-escalation, more criminal justice and non-profit organizations are opting to hire professionals with experience in creating and implementing outreach programming. You will stand out in a changing job market as a law enforcement professional equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities in both criminal justice and social work disciplines. In these roles, you will be positioned to institute change while potentially creating policies and procedures that will help make an impact in the community. 

Potential career paths include:

• Probation Officer 
• Parole Officer
• Non-profit Coordinator
• Re-entry Program Officers
• Corrections
• Outreach Directors 
• Prosecutor Outreach Directors
• Community Outreach Director
• State/Prosecutor’s Office