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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region

79 Colleges in the Plains States Region
5,408 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$39,382 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminal Justice & Corrections is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #7 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 79 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & corrections. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,408 degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region The criminal justice program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections rankings. We derive our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice
Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Doctor's Degrees in Criminal Justice

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Plains States Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the criminal justice degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

13 Top Plains States Region Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$41,544 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Minnesota State University - Mankato if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the small city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #351 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were roughly 99 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato earn $2,162 more than the average criminal justice student.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Minnesota State University - Mankato

2
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$37,538 Median Starting Salary

Century College is a good decision for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Century College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of White Bear Lake. A Best Colleges rank of #460 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 96 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,538.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Century College

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
254 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$43,759 Median Starting Salary

University of Nebraska at Omaha is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. UNOMAHA is a large public university located in the large city of Omaha. A Best Colleges rank of #468 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNOMAHA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 254 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNOMAHA in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from University of Nebraska at Omaha earn a boost of around $4,376 over the typical income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Nebraska at Omaha

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$41,988 Median Starting Salary

North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #242 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means North Dakota State University is a great university overall.

There were about 48 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at North Dakota State University - Main Campus get $2,606 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
148 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

ATCC is a small public college located in the remote town of Alexandria. This college ranks 43rd out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 148 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ATCC in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Alexandria Technical & Community College receive $6,269 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Alexandria Technical & Community College

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$84,095 Median Starting Salary

UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.

There were approximately 5 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from University of St Thomas Minnesota get an earnings boost of around $44,713 over the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of St Thomas Minnesota

6
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA

Located in the town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 14th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 29 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Simpson College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $40,370 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Simpson College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$42,056 Median Starting Salary

Metro State is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Saint Paul. This university ranks 22nd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 95 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Metro State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Metropolitan State University make $2,674 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Metropolitan State University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$36,457 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 132 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $36,457.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Iowa State University

9
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
167 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$39,411 Median Starting Salary

Park University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Parkville. A Best Colleges rank of #327 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Park University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 167 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $39,411.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Park University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$50,283 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Winfield, SC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 10th out of 47 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 27 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Southwestern College make $10,901 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Southwestern College

11
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO

Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #244 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $33,806.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Saint Louis University

12

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
12Bellevue UniversityBellevue, NE
13Fond du Lac Tribal and Community CollegeCloquet, MN
14University of North DakotaGrand Forks, ND
15Waldorf UniversityForest City, IA
16University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO
17Saint Cloud State UniversitySaint Cloud, MN
18Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA
19Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplin, MO

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice & corrections schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota2841,523
Missouri2831,221
Kansas266583
Iowa264627
Nebraska238608
North Dakota210225
South Dakota204154

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies2,496
Criminal Justice & Police Science1,441
Criminal Justice1,125
Corrections127
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General59
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing53
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice53
Securities Services Administration/Management37
Juvenile Corrections10
Corrections Administration7

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Homeland Security828
Fire Protection479
Security Science and Technology219
Other Homeland Security75

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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