Overview

The program is composed of a substantive core focused on criminal justice theory and institutions, a research methods core that prepares social scientists in the scientific method and social-science statistics, and a selection of substantive criminal justice concentrations (policing, corrections, and juvenile justice).

The Criminal Justice program is intended to serve many purposes. Chief among them are:

Prepare disciplinary stewards capable of advancing scholarship in criminal justice;
Prepare a qualified workforce to assume criminal justice instructional responsibilities in postsecondary institutions;
Prepare analysts competent to staff federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies; and
Improve safety and justice in communities through research partnerships with neighborhood, city, county and state agencies and associations.

Careers

Students completing the Criminal Justice program at the University of Central Florida will be well prepared to pursue academic positions in universities, research positions in criminal justice agencies, and consultancies in program evaluation and needs assessment.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Nature of Crime
Criminal Justice Theory
Criminal Justice Research in the Community
Crime Mapping and Analysis in Criminal Justice
Institutional Corrections
Police Administration

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 84 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-24 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-01 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2027-02-01 00:00:00 , National

Language

English

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Credits

57 SCH

57 Credit Hours beyond the Master's Degree

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Orlando, United States

Disciplines

Criminal Justice View 41 other PhDs in Criminal Justice in United States

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Academic requirements

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

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Other requirements

General requirements

An earned Master’s degree in criminal justice or a closely related discipline from an accredited institution.
Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
Three letters of reference. A minimum of two letters must be from university faculty members, at least one of which must be written by a faculty member from the institution/program from which the Master’s degree was earned.
A personal narrative of 500 – 1,000 words describing research interests, educational expectations, career aspirations, level of computer skills, and any special qualifications.
A curriculum vita.
A writing sample that is at least 2,000 words long, is academic in nature (e.g., paper written for a Master’s class), and demonstrates the applicant’s ability to complete graduate-level composition.
Applicants may be requested to participate in an interview (in person, by Zoom, or by phone) with the Department’s Doctoral Program Committee.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

22988 USD / year

≈ 22988 USD / year
Out-of-State

22988 USD / year

≈ 22988 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

6664 USD / year

≈ 6664 USD / year

Living costs

Orlando

United States

1111 - 1939 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Criminal Justice.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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