Colleges and Schools
This specialization is designed for criminal justice professionals, including supervisors and managers in policing, courts, corrections, security, and associated support agencies, who aspire to move into upper-level management and administrative assignments. The coursework includes an in-depth review and discussion of contemporary decision-making models and issues confronting the American criminal justice system.
Completion Requirements
- 132 total quarter credit hours
- Core courses (40 cr.)
- Specialization courses (12 cr.)
- Foundation Research Sequence (14 cr.)
- Specialized Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs) (36 cr.)
- Dissertation (30 cr.)
- Professional Development Plan and Program of Study
- 20 days of residency (two 4-day and two 6-day residencies)
- Minimum of 8–9 quarters enrollment depending on the transfer of credits awarded
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call your enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Walden offers frequent start dates so that you can begin when it’s convenient for you. Next Start Date: March 2. Admission policies vary by program. Call 1-866-492-5336 or apply now.
Core Courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| PPPA 8000 | Foundations for Doctoral Study | 4 |
| PPPA 8002 | KAM Writing Course | 2 |
| PPPA 8105 | Managing at the Boundaries | 6 |
| PPPA 8200 | Intellectual Traditions in Public Policy and Administration | 4 |
| PPPA 8305 | Professional Leadership and Ethics | 4 |
| PPPA 8400 | Nonprofit and Governmental Budgeting and Finance | 4 |
| PPPA 8500 | Organizational Theory and Behavior | 4 |
| PPPA 8600 | Human Resource Management | 4 |
| PPPA 8700 | Policy Analysis | 4 |
| PPPA 8800 | Strategic Management of Information | 4 |
Specialization Courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| PPPA 8350 | Historical and Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice | 4 |
| PPPA 8351 | Policy Analysis in the Criminal Justice System | 4 |
| PPPA 8352 | Leadership: Putting Theory into Practice in Criminal Justice Administration | 4 |
Foundation Research Sequence
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| SBSF 8417 | Research Seminar I: Human Inquiry and Science | 4 |
| PPPA 8427 | Research Seminar II: Research Methods | 5 |
| PPPA 8437 | Research Seminar III: Data Analysis | 5 |
Specialized KAMs
Walden’s unique curriculum allows students to focus on the areas most beneficial to their professional needs and goals. For example, students might concentrate on state and local government, public finance, or health administration while completing the following KAMs:
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| KAM V: Democratic Governance | ||
| PPPA 8510 | Breadth: Theories of Democratic Governance | 4 |
| PPPA 8520 | Depth: Contemporary Research and Issues in Democratic Governance | 4 |
| PPPA 8530 | Application: Professional Practice Application of Democratic Governance | 4 |
| KAM VI: Organizational Leadership and Change | ||
| PPPA 8612 | Breadth: Classical and Emerging Paradigms of Leadership and Organizational Change | 4 |
| PPPA 8622 | Depth: Current Research on Leadership and Organizational Change | 4 |
| PPPA 8632 | Application: Professional Practice Application of a Theory of Leadership and Organizational Change | 4 |
| KAM VII: Specialization Topics* | ||
| PPPA 8710 | Breadth: Theories in Selected Specialization Topic | 4 |
| PPPA 8720 | Depth: Current Research in Specialization Topic | 4 |
| PPPA 8730 | Application: Professional Practice Application of Specialization Topic | 4 |
*Students may elect, with permission from the Faculty Chair, to select a specialization (consisting of 3 courses) that will replace the requirement to complete KAM VII.
Dissertation
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| PPPA 9000 | Dissertation | 30 |
Course Descriptions (pdf)
