Criminal Justice M.Sc Before Law School? Forum

[MohawkMonk87]

Hello TLS,

Long story short I am currently serving in the military and have about three years left on my commitment, after which point I will be applying to law schools. Before serving I earned an MA in religion from HYP but I would like to reacquaint myself with academia before making that plunge. There is a Tier2 state school near my work that offers a graduate degree in Criminal Justice and having looked at the research interests of the professors there (International/Human Rights focused) I think I could do research that lines up with my current work in the military. Psychology and Sociology are both also options but I do no see a prospective advisor for the research I would like to do.

The main positives I see from this route are having a thesis and social science research under my belt and an academic LOR that will be current with my law schools applications (the others will be from work and an HYP prof).

However, I know Criminal Justice has a reputation as a soft field and would like opinions on how you believe this would be viewed in the greater context of my application.

Basic Stats/softs: Math/Phil UG 3.74, MA Religion, 6.5 years (by time of app) military experience, proficiency in an ME language.

Many Thanks TLS.

[barkschool]

The main positives I see from this route are having a thesis and social science research under my belt and an academic LOR that will be current with my law schools applications (the others will be from work and an HYP prof).

None of this will be helpful in you getting into law school.

None of this will help you get a job after law school.

Getting a criminal justice degree will not help you be a prosecutor/ white collar crime lawyer... Maybe it will, but it'll be a huge waste of money.

Why not just apply straight to law school, I see no reason to spend time kicking around other grad school programs?

[MohawkMonk87]

Currently in the military with no options to move, and no law school in driving distance.

[Clemenceau]

Not worth the time or effort

[SullivanLSAC]

Absolutely get the extra degree. It would work beautifully with the rest of your credentials.

Your concern about the field being "soft" is well founded, but I think what you mean is that it is more of a vocational field, which law schools, especially T14 schools, tend to dislike. But with your background in not 1 but 3 strong academic fields, you could get a degree in auto mechanics and it would not be held against you.

On the positive side, in addition to the excellent reasons you enumerate, it would show that you can hold down a job -- and a real job, no one phones it in in the military --and still pursue serious academic work; and what a personal statement you could craft! After a serious grounding in the liberal arts, you focus on work in the military and study in law enforcement so that now you can become ... a prosecutor. And if that story has the added advantage of being true (!), the degree would certainly help you get that job. So I say go for it.

Good luck, and thank you for your service.

Dan Sullivan