Program Director: Aleksandra Snowden, Ph.D.
Criminal Justice Data Analytics website

Degree Offered

Master of Science, Plan B only

Program Description

The master of science in criminal justice data analytics (CJDA) is designed to develop graduates with the skills and knowledge to harness data and employ analytical tools effectively to inform ethical planning, decision making, and problem solving in criminal justice agencies and related organizations. The program also offers an accelerated 5-year bachelor's and master's degree option.

Learning Outcomes

Students completing the master of science in criminal justice data analytics will be able to:

1. Identify crime analysis opportunities that can be ethically addressed through an understanding of crime, criminal offending, the operations of criminal justice organizations, and the US criminal justice system.
2. Design and implement strategies for analyzing crime data using appropriate methods, tools, and datasets.
3. Analyze crime data to create actionable information, and use it to establish priorities, make decisions, and solve problems aligning with the ethics, needs, and values of individuals, communities, and stakeholders.
4. Display and explain the results of criminal justice data analytics projects using effective written, graphic, and verbal tools and techniques.
5. Use advanced data processing tools incorporating regulatory, data governance, master data management, data profiling, parallel and distributed processing best practices.

Criminal Justice Data Analytics Master of Science

The master of science in criminal justice data analytics (CJDA) is interdisciplinary program designed to utilize the existing data science program and expertise in the criminology and law studies program. Computer science (COSC) courses compose the program's data analytics core and provide instruction and training in computer science, data science and managing/manipulating large data sets. Criminology and law studies (CRLS) courses provide the context for applying the skills developed in the data analytics core to criminal justice related fields. The CRLS course work also includes a practicum, which provides students with an opportunity to analyze criminal justice data in collaboration with local agencies and organizations to examine evidence-based decisions and their ethical implications. 

Program Requirements

Students must complete a total of 31 credit hours of course work for the master of science degree in criminal justice data analytics. This interdisciplinary program is composed of 15 credit hours in data analytics courses and 16 credit hours in criminology and law studies courses, including the practicum. The practicum's culminating experience provides the student an opportunity to work independently with a local non-profit or government agency through a community-engaged learning experience.

Required Course work

MASTER'S DEGREE WITH THE DATA SCIENCE CERTIFICATE

The Department of Computer Science offers a data science certificate. If a criminal justice data analytics master's student chooses to also earn the certificate, admission to both programs may be concurrent. The same courses may be used to satisfy the requirements of the master’s program and certificate, as outlined in the university bulletin for each program. Students are expected to be admitted into all programs they intend to complete, although course work completed prior to admission may be allowed to apply toward program requirements. 

Students who are dually enrolled in the master’s and the data science certificate may enroll in a secondary master’s that also accepts the data science certificate and complete the remaining requirements for that degree.

Details on the data science certificate can be found in this bulletin.

ACCELERATED DEGREE PROGRAM

The accelerated degree program (ADP) is designed to give Marquette University undergraduate students a more efficient means to obtain a master of science degree in criminal justice data analytics. Interested Marquette students in their junior year (or equivalent) must meet the following criteria in order to apply for the ADP:

• Students must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.200. 
• Students must have completed at least 18 credits of CRLS course work (6 courses) by the end of their junior year.

Undergraduates participating in this program are granted early admission to the Graduate School and are allowed to take specific graduate-level courses during their senior year. Candidates for admission to this program should notify the department director of graduate studies of their intentions.

University Policies

Graduate School Policies