An innovative executive master’s degree designed to prepare 21st century police-profession leaders
The Master of Applied Criminology and Police Leadership (MCPL) is an innovative, practitioner-focused program for senior police personnel with at least five years of experience who want to understand and apply modern theoretical and research findings to their professional practice. A central focus of the program is fostering fair, equitable, and procedurally just policies and practices that strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Unique among degrees in the US, the MCPL is designed specifically for senior police personnel leadership development and draws on the expertise of Penn’s Department of Criminology faculty. The program’s low-residency executive format offers greater flexibility for students inside and outside the Philadelphia area to complete an Ivy League degree while continuing to work full time.
The program’s objective is to guide police policy and practice through an education focused on theories of crime, analytic methods, and policy analysis. The curriculum combines practical, real-world skills and knowledge with exposure to award-winning faculty and police leaders. A required capstone course offers an opportunity for students to benefit their own police department by completing a mentored change project, grounded in evidence-based policing (EBP), within their agency. Students who successfully complete the Master of Applied Criminology and Police Leadership will understand how theories of crime and EBP can inform policy and planning in police agencies.
