A criminal justice master’s degree can support advancement in investigations, crime analysis, intelligence, agency administration, policy, training, and law enforcement leadership. It is not automatically a technical crime scene investigation degree, and it usually does not provide the natural-science curriculum required for crime-laboratory criminalist positions.
That difference should guide any search for a “CSI master’s.” Crime scene investigator is not a uniform California job title. One agency may employ civilian crime scene technicians who document scenes and recover evidence. Another may assign crime scene duties to sworn officers. Laboratory analysts, forensic scientists, criminalists, latent print examiners, forensic photographers, evidence technicians, and crime analysts have different educational needs.
The active California programs below include direct criminal justice and criminology master’s degrees, closely related justice and public-administration degrees, and science-intensive forensic alternatives. The list reflects a broad review of public, private, campus, hybrid, and online programs, but it should not be treated as an inventory of every possible criminal justice concentration in the state. Small private institutions and concentrations housed inside broader public-administration or homeland-security degrees may not be represented.
Readers who are still comparing undergraduate and graduate pathways can also review the broader guide to criminal justice degrees in California.
California criminal justice master’s programs at a glance
The first table covers active direct criminal justice or criminology degrees. Closely related public-administration and leadership programs appear separately.
| Institution and program | Degree and size | Format | CSI-related value | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal State Long Beach, MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice | MS, 36 units | Fully online accelerated route or separate traditional campus route | Crime analysis, intelligence analysis, criminal investigation, evidence, criminalistics, GIS, and possible internship electives | Primarily a criminology, policy, research, and administration degree rather than laboratory preparation |
| Cal State San Bernardino, MA in Criminal Justice | MA | Online | Research, statistics, policing, corrections, theory, and public-service preparation | Limited verified scene-processing or laboratory instruction |
| San Diego State, MS in Criminal Justice and Criminology | MS | Current delivery details should be confirmed with SDSU | Research, policy analysis, statistics, criminology, and justice-system analysis | Not a laboratory criminalistics curriculum |
| Fresno State, MS in Criminology | MS, 30 units | Primarily campus based | Agency research, administration, quantitative analysis, teaching, and doctoral preparation | Little verified technical CSI content |
| Stanislaus State, MA in Criminal Justice | MA, approximately 33 units depending on culminating option | Hybrid | Data analysis, program evaluation, internship option, death-investigation elective, and organizational study | CSI content is selective rather than the foundation of the degree |
| San José State, MS in Criminology with Global Criminology | MS, 30 units | Fully online and asynchronous | Cybercrime context, cyber forensics, global policing, research, statistics, and applied project | One cyber-forensics course does not provide full technical digital-forensics training |
| USC, MS in Criminal Justice | MS, 24 units | Online, with one-year and two-year schedules | Criminal investigations, statistics, policy, leadership, ethics, and organizational change | No verified laboratory or hands-on scene-processing requirement |
| California Baptist University, MS in Criminal Justice | MS, 30 units | Fully online and asynchronous | Crime analysis, intelligence mapping, investigations, scene preservation, evidence collection, and leadership | Remains a criminal justice leadership degree rather than a criminalistics qualification |
| National University, Master in Criminal Justice Leadership | Professional master’s; confirm current credit total | Official materials advertise online availability but contain conflicting delivery references | Leadership, law, ethics, theory, administration, policy, and applied capstone work | Exact units and modality need direct confirmation; no verified CSI laboratory component |
| California Coast University, MS in Criminal Justice | MS | Online and self-paced | General study of criminology, law, public policy, research, and criminal justice practice | Limited verified technical CSI preparation and no verified laboratory or internship requirement |
Two additional California credentials are related to criminal justice but use different degree titles:
- San José State’s MS in Justice Studies supports criminal justice administration, public-agency research, policy work, community organizations, and doctoral preparation.
- UC Irvine’s Master of Advanced Study in Criminology, Law and Society is a 52-quarter-unit online professional degree covering research methods, statistics, law, policing, corrections, cybercrime, leadership, and policy.
Decide which kind of CSI work you mean
A master’s degree should be evaluated against a specific job function, not against the broad label “CSI.”
Civilian crime scene investigator or crime scene technician
Field-oriented crime scene personnel may photograph scenes, prepare diagrams, document evidence, develop or collect fingerprints, package biological and trace materials, maintain chain of custody, write reports, and testify in court. Employer requirements vary widely. Some agencies seek a bachelor’s degree in forensic science, natural science, criminal justice, or a related discipline. Others place greater weight on scene-processing experience, agency training, photography, evidence handling, and testimony skills.
A criminal justice master’s may help with advancement or provide useful instruction in investigations, law, crime analysis, research, and administration. It will not necessarily supply practical training in alternate light sources, latent print processing, bloodstain documentation, evidence photography, impression evidence, or biological evidence collection.
Applicants targeting civilian scene work should inspect course descriptions and ask whether a program includes supervised practical exercises, an internship, physical evidence instruction, photography, or access to a crime scene facility. A degree with one general investigations course should not be treated as equivalent to a curriculum built around repeated scene-processing practice.
Sworn investigator or CSI assignment
At some California police departments, crime scene work is assigned to sworn personnel. In that setting, academy completion, peace-officer status, patrol experience, internal selection, and agency training may matter more than the precise title of a graduate degree.
A criminal justice, criminology, public-administration, or law-enforcement leadership master’s may support promotion, supervision, analytical responsibilities, policy development, or command preparation. It does not replace police academy requirements or the experience standards of a particular department.
Criminalist or forensic laboratory scientist
Criminalists analyze physical evidence using scientific methods. Work may involve controlled substances, toxicology, DNA, trace evidence, firearms, fire debris, or other laboratory specialties. These careers generally require much more chemistry, biology, mathematics, and laboratory preparation than a standard criminal justice curriculum provides.
California’s state Criminalist classification illustrates the issue. The classification requires a college major in a physical or biological science, including eight semester hours of general chemistry and three semester hours of quantitative analysis. The work can include crime scene examination, laboratory analysis, evidence interpretation, report writing, and courtroom testimony.
A criminal justice master’s does not erase missing undergraduate science requirements. Someone with a criminal justice bachelor’s and master’s could still be academically ineligible for a position requiring a natural-science major and specified chemistry coursework.
Crime analyst or intelligence analyst
Crime analysts study patterns, locations, trends, networks, and operational data. Relevant preparation can include statistics, research design, GIS, data visualization, intelligence analysis, program evaluation, and policy analysis.
This is one area where several California criminal justice and criminology programs align directly with job functions. CSULB offers crime and intelligence analysis coursework. CBU includes crime analysis and intelligence mapping. SJSU’s global criminology curriculum combines research and statistics with cybercrime and global policing. These programs are closer to analytical public-safety work than to physical evidence processing.
Evidence or property technician
Evidence technicians may receive, inventory, store, release, transport, and document evidence. Some also assist with field collection, depending on the agency. Chain of custody, information systems, legal procedure, documentation, safety, and evidence-room standards can be more relevant than graduate criminological theory.
A master’s may support advancement into supervision or administration, but it can exceed the entry-level educational requirement for many evidence-control roles. Review actual job postings before assuming a graduate degree will produce a hiring advantage.
Public-university criminal justice and criminology programs
California State University, Long Beach MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice
CSULB offers two separate routes: a traditional campus program and an online accelerated program. Both require 36 units, but they use different structures, and students cannot freely move between them. The online accelerated route does not require campus visits.
Core graduate study addresses criminological theory, research methods, advanced statistics, ethics, law and social control, administration, and criminal justice policy. The department also identifies electives in crime analysis, intelligence analysis, criminalistics, forensic pathology, criminal investigation, evidence, internships, and GIS-related work.
That elective range gives CSI-oriented applicants several ways to build an analytical or investigative emphasis. The degree can be useful for crime analysis, intelligence, justice-system research, policy, agency administration, or investigation-related advancement. Its core remains social-scientific, however. It does not substitute for the chemistry and biology expected in laboratory criminalistics.
The official online program page publishes a 2026-2027 price of $675 per unit and $24,300 in total program tuition. That figure is tuition rather than a complete cost of attendance. Books, technology, living expenses, and other charges may fall outside the advertised program total.
California State University, San Bernardino MA in Criminal Justice
CSUSB presents its MA in Criminal Justice as an online degree. Coursework covers criminal justice systems, criminological theory, research methods, advanced statistics, policing, corrections, and related areas of public service. Students complete either a thesis or a comprehensive examination.
Applicants can come from criminal justice or allied social-science fields such as criminology, sociology, psychology, or administration. Expected preparation includes prior exposure to theory, law enforcement, corrections, research methods, and statistics. Anyone missing parts of that foundation should ask whether prerequisite coursework will be required.
The curriculum fits agency research, policy, administration, law enforcement, intelligence-related work, doctoral preparation, and other public-service roles. The verified program materials do not establish a substantial laboratory or practical crime scene component. CSUSB also has undergraduate activity in intelligence and crime analysis, but that should not be confused with the graduate criminal justice curriculum.
San Diego State University MS in Criminal Justice and Criminology
SDSU integrates criminology and criminal justice rather than positioning the degree as a field-operations program. The curriculum emphasizes theory, research methods, statistics, international criminal justice, systems of social control, policy, and institutional analysis.
Published outcomes include research, policy analysis, community-college teaching, agency work, and preparation for doctoral study. Those goals point toward analytical, academic, and administrative careers. A current applicant should confirm the delivery format and culminating requirement directly with SDSU because the reviewed program materials do not clearly establish those details.
SDSU also offers an MPA with a Criminal Justice concentration. The two degrees are not interchangeable. The MS centers more directly on criminology and criminal justice research, while the MPA centers on public administration, management, accountability, and organizational leadership.
California State University, Fresno MS in Criminology
Fresno State’s 30-unit MS covers advanced criminological theory, research methods, criminal justice systems, law and policy, and quantitative analysis. The core also includes psychology or victimology content, followed by electives and approved culminating work.
Admission materials identify a bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 GPA standard, transcripts, a statement of purpose, and recommendations. The program admits through a fall cycle and is primarily campus based.
This curriculum can prepare graduates for agency research, administration, program evaluation, teaching, or doctoral study. It is not presented as laboratory CSI training. Applicants seeking scene work would need to establish their practical preparation through undergraduate study, employment, internships, certificates, or agency training.
California State University, Stanislaus MA in Criminal Justice
Stanislaus State uses a hybrid format. Its curriculum includes theory, criminal justice systems, program evaluation, data analysis, research, organizational management, and instructional strategies. Elective choices include death-investigation material, and a graduate internship is available.
Students choose among a project, thesis, or comprehensive examination. That flexibility can accommodate applied agency work, research, or preparation for further study. Admission generally calls for a bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 GPA, and at least a B in an upper-division research-methodology course. Application materials include a statement, writing sample, and references.
The death-investigation elective may appeal to prospective investigators, but a single course does not transform the degree into a forensic pathology or scene-processing program. The official page states that applications are being accepted for fall 2027, so prospective students should verify deadlines and current cohort plans before applying.
San José State University MS in Criminology, Global Criminology Concentration
SJSU’s 30-unit Global Criminology program is fully online and asynchronous, with an expected completion period of about two years. Fall and spring starts are advertised.
The curriculum includes comparative criminal justice, research and statistics, international criminology, terrorism, human rights, global policing, immigration law, cyber forensics, and an applied project. It can serve professionals interested in multinational crime, policy, public safety, cybercrime context, research, or leadership.
“Cyber forensics” in a criminology curriculum should be interpreted carefully. Technical digital evidence work can require operating-system knowledge, file-system analysis, forensic imaging, evidence validation, scripting, network analysis, and laboratory practice. One course may add useful context without delivering the technical depth of a dedicated digital-forensics program.
SJSU publishes a $749-per-unit rate for spring 2027, subject to change. An official total shown elsewhere does not reconcile exactly with 30 units multiplied by that rate, so applicants should request a written cost estimate that identifies tuition and mandatory fees.
San José State University MS in Justice Studies
SJSU also maintains a separate MS in Justice Studies. Current department materials present it primarily as an in-person pathway supporting criminal justice administration, public-agency research, policy, community organizations, and doctoral study.
This is a closely related degree rather than the same credential as the online Global Criminology MS. Prospective students should compare course schedules, culminating requirements, delivery, and faculty research instead of relying on the university name alone.
Online professional and private-university options
University of California, Irvine Master of Advanced Study in Criminology, Law and Society
UC Irvine’s credential is a Master of Advanced Study, not an MA or MS. The online professional program requires 52 quarter units over two years and is designed for working professionals and recent graduates interested in criminology, law, policy, and criminal justice.
Required areas include research methods, applied statistics, law, social problems, and policy. Electives cover policing, corrections, crime hotspots, errors of justice, leadership, cybercrime, sentencing, and related subjects. Students complete a capstone rather than a traditional research thesis. The catalog also describes an optional introductory residence course.
The program aligns with policy analysis, leadership, crime analysis, research, legal-system work, and evidence-based justice practice. It does not provide the natural-science laboratories needed for criminalist work. Applicants should use UCI’s current professional-degree fee schedule because a verified 2026-2027 cohort total was not available in the reviewed material.
University of Southern California MS in Criminal Justice
USC’s online MS requires 24 units and offers one-year and two-year schedules. The curriculum covers criminology, criminal justice systems, leadership, research methods, statistics, ethics, organizational change, policy, criminal investigations, corrections, youthful offenders, and a culminating course.
A criminal-investigations course can support detectives, supervisors, analysts, and professionals who need broader knowledge of investigative practice. It does not replicate a supervised scene-processing sequence or a forensic laboratory curriculum.
USC does not require the GRE. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or foreign equivalent, along with transcripts, a resume, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an application fee. Fall, spring, and summer starts are advertised.
For 2026-2027, USC lists tuition of $2,539 per unit. It estimates $60,936 in program tuition and $62,922 after listed materials and graduate fees, before possible health insurance. A personal budget should also account for any technology, books, and living expenses not included in the university’s estimate.
California Baptist University MS in Criminal Justice
CBU’s 30-unit program is fully online and asynchronous. The university advertises a 12-month full-time completion schedule, although working professionals may prefer a slower pace.
Courses include law-enforcement leadership, criminal law, criminal behavior, public-sector administration, research, crime analysis and intelligence mapping, criminal investigations, organizational leadership, and a capstone. The investigations course discusses scene preservation and evidence collection. That gives the degree more visible CSI-adjacent content than many general leadership programs.
The program still lacks the sustained natural-science laboratory work associated with criminalistics. Scene-preservation content in an online criminal justice course should not be equated with repeated practical exercises involving photography, latent prints, biological evidence, trace materials, and reconstruction.
CBU publishes tuition of $675 per unit plus applicable fees. Admission materials identify a bachelor’s degree, official transcripts, a minimum 2.75 GPA, and a written statement or program interview. CBU states that the university and its online programs are institutionally accredited by WSCUC.
National University Master in Criminal Justice Leadership
National University currently uses the title Master in Criminal Justice Leadership. The curriculum covers criminal justice theory, leadership, legal issues, ethics, constitutional law, advanced criminological theory, research-based problem solving, electives, and a two-part capstone. Available content includes an AI in Criminal Justice Leadership elective and an optional Conflict Resolution emphasis.
The program is oriented toward management, corrections, security, research, training, and leadership rather than technical crime scene work. National University identifies institutional accreditation through WSCUC, but it does not claim FEPAC accreditation for this program.
Official materials reviewed for this article contain conflicting references to modality and credits. Online availability is advertised, but the program page also includes class-based language. Applicants should request written confirmation of the current degree total, residency expectations, delivery format, tuition, and course sequence before enrolling.
National University also offers a separate Master of Forensic Sciences. That degree is discussed below because its investigative and forensic focus differs from the leadership curriculum.
California Coast University MS in Criminal Justice
California Coast University offers an online, self-paced MS covering crime, criminology, law, public policy, research literature, and professional criminal justice practices. No required laboratory, campus residency, internship, or crime scene practicum was verified.
The university states that it is institutionally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. DEAC institutional accreditation is different from FEPAC programmatic accreditation, and the institution’s distance model differs from the CSU and UC systems.
Because acceptance policies vary, prospective students should ask target employers, doctoral programs, and any institutions that might receive transfer credit whether the degree meets their needs. The university advertises a general graduate tuition rate, but a current program-unit total was not independently verified for this review.
Public administration and law-enforcement leadership alternatives
A public-administration or leadership degree can be more relevant than criminology for someone seeking promotion into budgeting, personnel management, policy implementation, organizational change, grant administration, or agency command. It is less suitable for developing technical crime scene or laboratory skills.
| Program | Format | Primary emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Chico State MPA, Criminal Justice option | Confirm current format with the university | Management and leadership in criminal justice, legal, and penal-system organizations |
| CSU Dominguez Hills MPA, Criminal Justice Administration and Policy concentration | Online eight-week sessions or campus study | Public administration, criminal justice policy, organizational analysis, and agency management |
| SDSU MPA, Criminal Justice concentration | Confirm current structure with SDSU | Public-service administration, ethics, accountability, policy, and justice-agency leadership |
| University of San Diego MS in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership | Fully online, 31 units | Leadership, constitutional law, budgeting, organizational change, community engagement, data fluency, and conflict resolution |
CSU Dominguez Hills publishes an approximate online rate of $630 per unit and an estimated total online tuition of about $26,460, subject to change. The MPA is NASPAA accredited. FEPAC is not relevant because this is a public-administration degree rather than forensic science.
SDSU also identifies NASPAA accreditation for its MPA. Its Criminal Justice concentration should not be confused with SDSU’s separate MS in Criminal Justice and Criminology.
The University of San Diego program is aimed at law-enforcement and public-safety professionals. Admission normally requires a bachelor’s degree, at least two years of related professional experience, a minimum 2.75 undergraduate GPA, a resume, a statement of purpose, and a professional support letter. USD publishes a rate of $729 per unit, but applicants should confirm the current total and all fees. The curriculum is relevant to supervisory and command-track work, not forensic laboratory practice.
Science-intensive alternatives for criminalist and laboratory careers
A prospective criminalist, forensic chemist, forensic biologist, DNA analyst, toxicology analyst, or scientifically oriented CSI should compare criminal justice programs with forensic science and criminalistics degrees before committing to graduate study.
Cal State LA MS in Criminalistics
Cal State LA requires a natural or physical science bachelor’s degree plus substantial coursework in biology, biostatistics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, and physics. The program explicitly states that a criminal justice degree by itself is insufficient preparation for admission.
Graduate study covers forensic science, biological and chemical evidence, instrumental and laboratory methods, evidence interpretation, reconstruction, legal issues, research, and scientific communication. Laboratory work and a research capstone are included, and internships with public or private laboratories are encouraged.
This route aligns far more directly with crime-laboratory employment and scientifically demanding evidence roles than a general criminal justice master’s. Most courses are scheduled in the evening, but the program is primarily in person.
Cal State LA’s current offerings list the MS in Criminalistics rather than the historical MS in Criminal Justice. Older references to the criminal justice master’s should not be treated as evidence of active admission.
UC Davis MS in Forensic Science
UC Davis offers a 54-quarter-unit MS with DNA and Criminalistics tracks. Admission preparation includes a natural or physical science background plus general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, and statistics, generally with laboratory work.
The Criminalistics track includes instrumental analysis, trace evidence, drug chemistry, toxicology, and crime scene investigation. The program is campus and laboratory based, with hands-on research, mock crime scene exercises, practical forensic training, and moot-court testimony. Students complete thesis or capstone-related work under the current curriculum.
This degree can align with laboratory criminalistics and scientifically oriented crime scene work. Even so, applicants should compare their transcripts against the requirements of each target employer. Laboratory specialties can impose specific chemistry, molecular biology, genetics, physics, statistics, or instrumentation expectations.
National University Master of Forensic Sciences
National University’s forensic program covers forensic photography, crime scene evidence, investigative methods, scientific techniques, homicide, sexual assault, arson, drugs, and property crime. It is more directly connected to field investigation than the university’s Criminal Justice Leadership degree.
Applicants should verify the current specialization requirements, science prerequisites, practical exercises, laboratory access, residency expectations, and capstone format. An online forensic degree may be useful for theory and investigative knowledge, but hands-on requirements determine how much direct preparation it provides for technical evidence work.
Admissions and prerequisite planning
Criminal justice master’s programs often accept applicants from criminal justice, criminology, sociology, psychology, public administration, political science, or related backgrounds. Common application components include:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Official transcripts
- A minimum GPA, often around 2.75 or 3.0
- A statement of purpose
- A resume or curriculum vitae
- Recommendations
- Prior research methods or statistics coursework
- A writing sample for some programs
Research-oriented programs may expect stronger quantitative preparation. Leadership programs may prefer or require public-safety experience. USD, for example, normally asks for two years of professional experience in law enforcement, public safety, or a related field.
Forensic science and criminalistics admissions are different. Cal State LA and UC Davis expect substantial natural-science preparation. Missing organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, physics, calculus, statistics, or laboratory courses can delay eligibility or make admission impossible without additional undergraduate study.
Transcript planning should begin before submitting an application. Ask the department for a written prerequisite review, especially if the eventual goal is a California criminalist position. A graduate admissions office may admit someone to a criminal justice program even though the person’s undergraduate science record does not satisfy a forensic employer.
Online study and the limits of remote CSI preparation
Online delivery is common among California’s criminal justice master’s programs. CSULB’s accelerated route, CSUSB, SJSU Global Criminology, UC Irvine, USC, CBU, California Coast University, and USD’s law-enforcement leadership degree all provide verified online options.
Remote study can work well for criminological theory, law, research design, statistics, policy analysis, administration, crime analysis, and leadership. It also lets employed professionals study without relocating.
Technical crime scene education is harder to deliver entirely online. Competent field practice requires more than reading about evidence collection. Students may need repeated experience with photography, measurement, diagramming, fingerprint development, packaging, contamination control, protective equipment, lighting, scene documentation, and testimony. Laboratory careers add instrumentation, quality assurance, analytical chemistry, microscopy, molecular methods, and validated procedures.
An online program should therefore be evaluated through specific questions:
- Are practical exercises required or optional?
- Does the program provide an evidence laboratory, scene facility, equipment kit, or local placement?
- Is an internship available, and who arranges it?
- Are campus visits or residencies required?
- Who evaluates practical technique?
- Does the capstone produce applied work relevant to a target employer?
- Will the curriculum satisfy the science courses listed in actual job announcements?
A program with no campus requirement may be highly convenient, but convenience does not establish technical depth.
Understanding accreditation
Institutional accreditation and specialized programmatic accreditation answer different questions.
WSCUC institutionally accredits many California universities, while DEAC institutionally accredits distance-education institutions such as California Coast University. NASPAA accredits qualifying public-administration programs, including the MPA programs identified by CSUDH and SDSU.
The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission accredits qualifying bachelor’s and master’s programs in forensic science, along with certain natural-science or computer-science programs that have forensic concentrations. FEPAC is not the general programmatic accreditor for criminal justice, criminology, justice studies, law-enforcement leadership, or MPA degrees.
None of the criminal justice programs in this article should be described as FEPAC accredited. Cal State LA and UC Davis also should not be labeled FEPAC accredited without confirmation from the current official FEPAC directory. A university statement that coursework follows educational standards is not the same as current programmatic accreditation.
Accreditation should be assessed in relation to the degree. NASPAA can be relevant to an MPA applicant. FEPAC can be relevant to forensic science. Neither serves as a universal quality label for every justice-related discipline.
Comparing costs without misleading totals
Published prices use different definitions. Some schools list tuition per unit, some publish estimated program tuition, and others provide a total that includes selected fees or materials.
Verified examples include:
- CSULB online MS: $675 per unit and $24,300 in stated 2026-2027 program tuition.
- CBU online MS: $675 per unit plus applicable fees.
- SJSU Global Criminology: $749 per unit for spring 2027, subject to change.
- CSUDH online MPA: approximately $630 per unit and about $26,460 in estimated online tuition.
- USD public-safety leadership MS: $729 per unit, with the current total and fees requiring confirmation.
- USC online MS: $2,539 per unit, $60,936 in estimated tuition, and $62,922 including listed materials and graduate fees before possible health insurance.
These figures are not fully comparable. Program length differs, and published totals may exclude books, insurance, technology, travel, campus visits, or living expenses. Request a term-by-term written estimate based on the intended pace of study. Ask whether tuition is locked for the cohort and whether dropping or repeating a course changes the program rate.
A suspended program and stale listings
Sacramento State’s MS in Criminal Justice remains visible in university materials, but the 2026-2027 catalog states that admissions are currently suspended. Older department information includes application details that conflict with the newer catalog.
The degree should not be treated as an active application option unless Sacramento State directly confirms that admissions have reopened. Its historical curriculum included research methods, advanced research design, qualitative methods, criminology, policy, law, policing, corrections, and several culminating options.
Cal State LA presents a different stale-listing problem. Historical sources refer to an MS in Criminal Justice, but current academic pages list the MS in Criminalistics instead. Applicants looking for Cal State LA graduate study should use the current Criminalistics program and its science prerequisites rather than relying on old criminal justice references.
How to choose a program for a CSI-related career
Start with job postings from the agencies or laboratories where you might apply. Record the required degree field, science credits, experience, academy status, driver’s license, certifications, and preferred technical skills. Titles alone are unreliable because California agencies define CSI, evidence technician, forensic specialist, and criminalist roles differently.
Then match the degree to the work:
- Crime analysis or intelligence: Favor statistics, research methods, GIS, mapping, intelligence analysis, databases, and an applied project. CSULB, CBU, and SJSU provide relevant coursework.
- Agency leadership or promotion: Compare USC, National University, USD, and the MPA pathways at Chico State, CSUDH, and SDSU.
- Criminology research, policy, teaching, or doctoral study: Examine SDSU, Fresno State, CSUSB, SJSU, and UC Irvine.
- Field crime scene work: Look for photography, evidence recognition, fingerprints, documentation, scene processing, chain of custody, reconstruction, internships, and evaluated practical exercises. A general criminal justice master’s may need to be paired with hands-on training.
- Crime laboratory work: Prioritize chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, molecular biology, statistics, instrumentation, and laboratory methods. Cal State LA and UC Davis are more closely aligned than the general criminal justice degrees.
- Sworn investigative assignment: Verify academy, experience, and internal-selection rules before assuming another degree is necessary.
A master’s can advance an established criminal justice career, sharpen research and analytical skills, or prepare someone for leadership. It is not generally required for entry-level forensic science technician work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that forensic science technicians typically need at least a bachelor’s degree, often in forensic science or a natural science, while police-employed crime scene investigators may also face academy requirements.
The final choice should be based on the curriculum and the target employer’s written qualifications. A degree title containing “criminal justice,” “forensic,” or “investigation” does not by itself establish eligibility for crime scene or laboratory work.