M.S. Criminal Justice
Master of Science in Criminal Justice
Prepare for leadership in the justice system with Roger Williams University’s M.S. in Criminal Justice. This 36-credit program—available fully online or in a flexible hybrid format—combines real-world application with in-demand skills in policy, management, and analysis.
Customize your degree with specializations in Justice Policy, Cybersecurity, Leadership, or Public Administration, with a new focus in Crime Analytics coming soon. Whether you're advancing in your current role or pivoting your career, RWU offers the flexibility and support to help you succeed.
Key Features
- Flexible Format: 100% online or hybrid options to fit your schedule
- Enroll at your own pace: full-time or part-time options
- Multiple start terms: Enroll in the Fall, Spring or Summer.
- Customizable Curriculum: Specialize in Justice Policy, Cybersecurity, Leadership, Public Administration or our new Crime Analysis specialization coming Fall 2026
- Scholarships available plus a guaranteed 20% tuition discount for active duty military, veterans, and first responders
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Community Researcher, Professor of Criminal Justice
"My work in the community keeps both my feet firmly rooted to the practitioner world. It certainly makes me a better teacher. I work hard to find the intersections of how the classroom experience intersects with the real-world."
Sean Varano considers himself a community researcher, and for good reason. He has years of experience developing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based approaches to crime and public health programs in the local community. He's served as the Local Action Research Partner to the New Bedford Police Department since 2006; and is the co-principal investigator/evaluator for the City of Providence’s Project Safe Neighborhoods gang reduction program and also for the Olneyville Housing Corporation's Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant. Both federally funded initiatives intend to reduce crime by addressing the underlying factors that increase the likelihood of crime and disorder. Most recently, Varano has been taking on a new issue, which has been devastating much of New England: The opioid epidemic.
Sean Varano, Professor
Criminal Justice Faculty