The Doctor of Criminal Justice (D.C.J.) is a

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in the field of

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

. As a

terminal degree A terminal degree is the highest-level university degree that can be achieved and awarded in an academic discipline or professional field. The term "terminal degree" is also used to refer to a degree that is awarded because a doctorates, doctoral-le ...

, it prepares the holder for administrative, research, academic or professional positions in the criminal justice field at both public and private institutions.

History

The Doctor of Criminal Justice was first identified as a type of research doctorate by the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

in its 1996 Survey of Earned Doctorates. With no respondents, the credential disappeared from subsequent surveys. The Doctor of Criminal Justice degree finally materialized in 2017. There are several regionally accredited Doctor of Criminal Justice degree programs in the United States. The first in the United States was approved for launch in 2017 at the

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (abbreviated as PennWest California) is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University in California, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus had an enrollment of 2,717 as of fall 2024. Founded in 1852 ...

, now Pennsylvania Western Universit

ccredited by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

In 2018,

Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is a private Catholic university in St. Leo, Florida. It was established in 1889. The university is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine monastery. The universi ...

launched the second available Doctor of Criminal Justice program, accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

with concentrations in Homeland Security, Human Services or Education.

Northcentral University Northcentral University was a private online university with its headquarters in San Diego, California. It was established in 1996 and is classified among "D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities"; it offers bachelor's, master's, specialist, an ...

also launched a Doctor of Criminal Justice program in 2018, accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

and now National University. Liberty University is now offering the Doctor of Criminal Justice degree program with concentrations in Homeland Security or Leadership, alongside its PhD in criminal justice. Liberty University is accredited by the outhern Association of Colleges and Schools Similarly, Keiser University offers th
D.C.J.
program, along with the traditiona
Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology
which is accredited by outhern Association of Colleges and Schools Moreover, in 2025, Tiffin University offers a Doctorate in Criminal Justice online with concentrations in Leadership & Administration, Forensic Psychology, or Teaching Criminal Justice in Higher Education. https://go.tiffin.edu/doctorate-programs/doctorate-in-criminal-justice/. Likewise, Arizona State University is offering in the Fall of 2025 a Doctor of Criminal Justice professional degree. https://ccj.asu.edu/masters-degrees-phds/majorinfo/PPCRIMJDCJ/graduate/false/20846 As a relatively new type of doctorate, specific requirements for the Doctor of Criminal Justice vary. For example, the Pennsylvania Western University's Doctor of Criminal Justice can be completed with an accelerated two years of coursework (42 credits beyond master's or

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

) with an extensive written professional dissertation, defense, and comprehensive exam.

's Doctor of Criminal Justice program takes three and a half years to complete, and also includes a written dissertation and defense, bringing the first two D.C.J. degrees closer to the notion of research-based degrees.

Comparisons of the D.C.J. with other related doctorates in the United States

Comparison to Ph.D. Compared to a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(Ph.D.) in Criminal Justice/

Criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

which is focused on theoretical research, the D.C.J. is primarily a professional, applied degree for practitioners in the criminal justice field. In this sense, it is comparable to other research-based professional doctorates, such as the

Doctor of Education Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

(Ed.D.),

Doctor of Business Administration The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a terminal degree in business administration. The DBA is classified as a research doctorate or professional doctorate depending on the granting university and country where the degree was awarded. ...

(D.B.A.), and

Doctor of Psychology The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D. or D.Psych.) is a professional doctoral degree intended to prepare graduates for careers that apply scientific knowledge of psychology and deliver empirically based service to individuals, groups and organization ...

(Psy.D.) degrees. In theory, the two degrees are expected to constitute overlapping but distinct categories, where the D.C.J. is a degree that prepares criminal justice practitioners who can solve problems using existing knowledge, and the PhD is the more theoretical of the two as a traditional social science research degree that prepares students for careers as scholars and academics, often from a particular disciplinary perspective. Comparison to D.Crim. and Crim.D. Another related degree identified by the National Science Foundation in 1996 is the Doctor of Criminology (D.Crim.). The D.Crim. designation has not historically been used in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and its use is not well-established elsewhere. For example, there is evidence to suggest that the D.Crim. term is sometimes used interchangeably with the Ph.D. In practice, it is more likely that a theoretical D.Crim. or Crim.D. naming convention could be used interchangeably with the D.C.J than the Ph.D. The fields of criminology and criminal justice overlap heavily. Applying knowledge from the field of criminology in a practical context generally happens within the field of criminal justice. Therefore, D.C.J and Crim.D. degrees, in theory, would be functionally identical.

References

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Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

Criminal justice