"Something that cannot be captured in words is my passion to help and serve others."

Joshua L. Adams is a Professor of Practice in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University, where he also serves as the Director of Online Graduate Programs, which include the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MACJ), Master of Science in Crime Analysis (MSCA), and the Master of Public Safety Leadership and Administration (MPSLA). He earned an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Columbia Southern University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from American Military University, a master’s degree in forensic science from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Walden University.

Dr. Adams has 20 years of federal law enforcement experience, 11 of which, have been in the conduct and/or supervision of felony-level criminal investigations for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) as a special agent/criminal investigator. Prior to his appointment at ASU and recent retirement from Army CID, he served as the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge for the U.S. Army Protective Services Unit (PSU) located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The PSU is responsible for providing full-time, worldwide, executive-level personal protection for the Top 10 Department of Defense leaders and their families which include the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to his assignment at the PSU, he served as the Resident Agent-in-Charge for the largest Army CID field office in Asia (South Korea) and held numerous leadership and investigative positions throughout his tenure with Army CID that included commander, narcotics team chief, special victim’s unit team chief, general crimes team chief, and forensic science officer. Joshua has personally investigated or supervised thousands of felony-level criminal investigations throughout his career involving terrorism, war crimes, extremism, espionage, sexual assault, arson, counterfeiting, bribery, fraud, homicide, child exploitation, and child abuse.

Certified User

NVivo Core Skills (Windows)

Certified User

NVivo 12 Fundamentals (Windows)

Certified User

NVivo 12 Moving On (Windows)

Associate Member

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

His research interests center on criminal investigation and forensic science, particularly in the areas of rural policing, crime scene investigation, military policing, police legitimacy, police leadership, and organizational justice. He has published in The Qualitative Report, Journal of Forensic Sciences, and Journal of Forensic Identification.

Dr. Adams is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. His awards and achievements include the Order of the Marechaussee (Bronze) from the Military Police Regimental Association, this award is given to nominees who have performed exceptional dedicated service for at least 20 years as a special agent or military police professional and is the third highest service award in U.S. Army policing; 2018 Army CID Forensic Science Officer of the Year; 2018 George Mason University Faculty Award; and Honor Graduate-Military Police training.

My Call to Serve the Nation and Others

My Call to Serve the Nation and Others—Something that cannot be captured in words is my passion to help and serve others. I am always trying to find ways to explain things in “layman’s” terms to students and colleagues who approach me for critical feedback or who need assistance navigating NVivo qualitative data analysis software (QDAS). I am proud to be a 20-year combat veteran of the United States Army and retiree. I am especially sensitive to the demands of the online learner and of actively serving military personnel and was a student pursuing my education online from 2004 to 2018. I have learned that people seek out someone who can assist them who can show empathy and compassion, and who have shared similar experiences as them. Compassion and competence are two things you cannot fake.

Past Work