MS in Public Safety | Criminal Justice

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Credit Hours

100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | March 23, 2026 | May 18, 2026

Foster a Safe Community and Administer Justice with a Master of Science in Public Safety – Criminal Justice

Are you passionate about helping others? Do you have a desire to protect the public from harm? With a Master of Science (MS) in Public Safety – Criminal Justice, you can become better prepared to manage resources and people to ensure public safety. This is a robust and comprehensive program that is designed to help you apply principles of public safety management to criminal justice organizations. Our public safety master’s degree is also designed to help you grasp the dynamic nature of public safety and identify trends that impact public safety forces across the nation.

So don’t wait any longer. You want to make a difference in your community. We want to partner with you as you take the next step in your criminal justice career. Earn your public safety degree at Liberty University and prepare to lead with excellence in your organization or agency.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Science (MS) in Public Safety – Criminal Justice.

Backed by a brick-and-mortar campus ranked as Niche.com’s #2 Best College Campus in America for 2026

Private Nonprofit University
600+ Online Degrees
No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose Liberty’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Management Degree?

As you pursue your public safety degree at Liberty, we know that quality is important. Our program is taught by professors who have years of experience in fields related to criminal justice and public safety administration. Additionally, our faculty have terminal degrees in related areas of study, so you can be confident that you are studying under professors who strive to connect course content to the professional field.

Liberty University is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). What does that mean for you? Our regional accreditation means you are receiving an online education that meets the same rigorous standards as our residential programs. With an online safety administration degree from Liberty, you won’t have to sacrifice quality for flexibility.

What Will You Study in Our Public Safety Administration Degree?

In our public safety and security degree, you will begin your studies with core courses in topics such as the fundamentals of public safety administration, management of public sector organizations, disaster management, and crisis and trauma response for first responders. Then, you will delve into your criminal justice specialization. In this specialization, you will take courses that are focused on topics like criminal justice administration, leadership, ethics, and policing.

Throughout your degree, you can gain skills that are integral to criminal justice administration. Your professors will discuss different methods of integrating your criminal justice knowledge into practical situations so that you can turn your knowledge into wisdom.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Full Time	$580/Credit
Graduate Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Admission Information for the Master of Science in Public Safety

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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Master of Science in Public Safety Administration – Criminal Justice Foster a Safe Community

Foster a Safe Community and Administer Justice with a Master of Science in Public Safety – Criminal Justice

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Management Degree?

What Will You Study in Our Public Safety Administration Degree?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for the Master of Science in Public Safety

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Liberty University accredited?

Will I still be able to network with people across the industry?

Are you ready to change your future?

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