About Us

Nationally Ranked Program

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is a nationally ranked program housed within the College of Public Affairs and Community Service at the University of Nebraska Omaha.  It consists of five degree programs, two research units, and collaborative programming across the University of Nebraska system including both online and on-campus offerings.  The School is comprised of approximately 25 full-time faculty, 4 staff, 5 academic advisors, several part-time faculty, and close to 1,000 students spread across all degree programs and the Omaha and Lincoln campuses.  

Degree Programs

The School offers five degree programs serving both undergraduate and graduate student populations, and offering a variety of on campus and online courses and degree programs. 

    • The Bachelor of Science is offered in its entirety on both the Lincoln and Omaha campuses.  The criminology and criminal justice curriculum is similar on both campuses, but student experiences and campus life have unique flavors on each campus. 
    • A Fast Track Program for highly qualified and motivated students provides the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in an accelerated time frame.
    • The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is offered on the Omaha campus and is for students considering research-oriented positions or doctoral studies, and culminates in a thesis.
    • The Master of Science (M.S.) is for criminal justice professionals, and culminates in an applied capstone project. The degree can be completed online, in-person, or a through a combination of both types of classes.
    • The Master of Science/Master of Social Work (M.S./M.S.W) is a dual-degree program for professionals working with individuals in the criminal and juvenile justice systems who have special needs.
    • The Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree in the discipline and it is for people seeking advanced research and/or teaching careers.
    • We also offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate minors and certificate options on both campuses.

Research Expertise

In addition to faculty who are nationally-recognized for their research expertise, the School is also home to two research units.  The Nebraska Center for Justice Research provides expertise to crime and justice agencies across the state and region and is involved in a wide variety of research projects with community partners.  The Juvenile Justice Institute works with agencies at the city, county, and state level to meet the needs of juveniles in the justice system.

Lincoln and Omaha

Criminology and Criminal Justice is housed on both the Lincoln and Omaha campuses of the University of Nebraska. 

    • Lincoln:  Located in Nebraska Hall near 17th and X Streets on the north edge of the city campus.  Our main office is in 310 Nebraska Hall (third floor, east side of the building).
    • Omaha:  Located in the CPACS building on the Dodge campus.  The main office is in 218 CPACS (second floor, south end of building). 

 Nebraska Hall