Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeOn campus

Overview

UCF's PhD in Criminal Justice is a 57-credit-hour post-master's program with 42 hours of coursework and 15 of dissertation research, offered on the main campus.

Official program name: Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy · major: Criminal Justice
Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — research doctorate
Subject focus: Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science or a closely related justice subject.
Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026
School: University of Central Florida
Location: Orlando, FL
Subjects: Criminal Justice — core of the degreeLaw Enforcement and Policing — formal concentration / track (“Policing”)Corrections — formal concentration / trackJuvenile Justice — formal concentration / track (“Juvenile justice”)
Required credits: 57 credit hours, post-master's
Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Duration: Not verified

Why this program is listed

Research PhD in Criminal Justice, on campus.

Research doctorate in criminal justice with policing, corrections and juvenile justice concentrations.

Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026

We list associate, bachelor's, master's and research-doctorate programs in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science and related subjects at institutionally accredited US schools — degrees in the subject and formal concentrations, never certificates or one-elective degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.

Formats offered: On campus
Source: ccie.ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

Curriculum

Curriculum details: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Careers and licensure

An academic degree and an occupational licence are different things.

Career and licensure statements for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

A degree does not guarantee police academy admission, sworn officer certification, federal employment, a security clearance, a position with a named agency, a forensic laboratory job or eligibility to practice as a psychologist. Those have separate training, scientific prerequisites, examinations or hiring requirements set by the agency, state or licensing board. Academic degrees vs police academy training

Research and doctoral requirements

Research areas, supervision, examinations and residency as the school publishes them.

Research areas

Concentrations in policing, corrections and juvenile justice.
Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Dissertation

Minimum 42 credit hours of coursework and 15 credit hours of dissertation research.
Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Admission requirements: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
Domestic: Fall February 1; International: Fall December 1 (no year printed) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
In-state — Graduate, in-state	$369.65	per creditCalculated tuition$21,070.05 = 57 credits × $369.65 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Out-of-state — Graduate, out-of-state	$1,276.48	per creditCalculated tuition$72,759.36 = 57 credits × $1,276.48 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Graduate funding guide

Graduate teaching assistantship Assistantship
Eligibility: Most doctoral students, per program page
Duties: Teaching assistant; instructor-of-record for two courses on average upon graduation
Source: ccie.ucf.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Accreditation

Two different things: the school's institutional accreditation, and FEPAC accreditation of this exact forensic science program.

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

FEPAC program accreditation

This program does not appear in FEPAC's accredited-program list. FEPAC accredits forensic science programs only and is optional; its absence is not a sign that a program is illegitimate, and the school's other programs or institutional accreditation do not imply it.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 24, 2026.

ccie.ucf.edu/criminaljustice/programs/phd/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
ucf.edu/degree/criminal-justice-phd/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026

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Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and focus. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

CUNY Graduate School and University Center

Ph.D. in Criminal Justice

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeDoctor of Philosophy

Campus · Full-time

New York City, NY

Campus-based study

Students are expected to complete the doctoral degree in 5 years; all students must complete within 8 years. · 60 credits

$1,235 per semester · In-state — Level III, full time, New York residents

No upcoming verified deadline

Institution accredited: MSCHE

Criminology · Criminal Justice

View program

North Carolina A & T State University