Criminology and Criminal Justice Master's Degree

Master's Program

This master’s program is designed to provide students with competency in research, policy planning, evaluation, agency management, and preparation for continued graduate study in criminal justice and criminology.

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Why Pursue a Criminology and Criminal Justice Master's Degree

The Master’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice offers opportunities to network with like-minded students and develop skills in writing, research, critical thinking, and problem solving. Smaller class sizes allow for more individualized attention from UTSA faculty. This program also prepares graduate students to pursue a PhD if interested in teaching or research.

See What Our Students Say

When you choose UTSA, you join a community of talented scholars and professionals being taught by award-winning faculty. Are you curious about the multitude of facets to Criminology and Criminal Justice? UTSA alumna Destyne Simmons talks about her graduate school experience.

Admission & Application Requirements

Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.

Criminology and Criminal Justice (MS)
Admission is only available for the Fall semester
	Required Degree	Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution.
	Minimum GPA	3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours
	Coursework	Completed adequate credit hours or foreign institution equivalent coursework as preparation for the program.
	Transcripts*	Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English
	Credential Evaluation	Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform
	English Language Proficiency	550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100
	Purpose Statement	Required
	Resume	Required
	Letters of Recommendation	2 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time). Professional references for this program are preferred.
*Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University.

Apply 2025-26 Application

Application Deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.

Criminology and Criminal Justice (MS)
Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application.
Application Deadlines for:	Priority	International	Domestic
Fall 2025		June 1	July 1
Spring		Not Available	Not Available
Summer		Not Available	Not Available

Funding Opportunities

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Career Options

UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.