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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region

17 Colleges in the Southwest Region
3,013 Police Science Degrees Awarded
Criminal Justice & Police Science is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #74 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,013 degrees in criminal justice & police science to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Police Science School

Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of criminal justice & police science school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Police Science School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Criminal Justice & Police Science Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Police Science
Bachelor's Degrees in Police Science

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Police Science in the Southwest Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the police science degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Police Science

1
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TX

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & police science needs to look into Texas State University. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #396 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were about 13 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Texas State University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AZ
276 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Grand Canyon University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & police science. Located in the large city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #144 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 276 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Grand Canyon University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Criminal Justice - Police Administration & Operations Program Name

Explore the demands, functions, goals and leadership opportunities in the modern police agency with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Criminal Justice - Police Administration & Operations from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In TX
74 Police Science Degrees Awarded

South Texas College is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & police science. South Texas College is a very large public college located in the medium-sized city of McAllen. A Best Colleges rank of #485 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means South Texas College is a great college overall.

There were about 74 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from South Texas College

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In AZ
465 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science has to check out Rio Salado College. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, Rio Salado College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1128 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rio Salado College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 465 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Rio Salado College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Rio Salado College

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX
64 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Lamar Institute of Technology is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Beaumont. A Best Colleges rank of #613 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Lamar Institute of Technology is a great school overall.

There were about 64 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Lamar Institute of Technology in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Lamar Institute of Technology

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In TX
32 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Alvin, Alvin is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 66th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 32 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Alvin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Alvin Community College

7
Amarillo College crest
Amarillo College
Amarillo, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In TX
35 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Amarillo College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Amarillo. This college ranks 44th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 35 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Amarillo College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Amarillo College

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TX
178 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Laredo, Texas A&M International University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 90th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 178 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M International University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Texas A&M International University

9
DMC crest
Del Mar College
Corpus Christi, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TX
70 Police Science Degrees Awarded

DMC is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Corpus Christi. A Best Colleges rank of #705 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DMC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 70 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at DMC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Del Mar College

10
South Plains College crest
South Plains College
Levelland, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
24th Most Popular In TX
32 Police Science Degrees Awarded

South Plains College is a moderately-sized public college located in the distant town of Levelland. This college ranks 85th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 32 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at South Plains College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from South Plains College

Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice & police science schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 905 688
Arizona 670 409
Oklahoma 565 111
New Mexico 416 33

View All Rankings >

One of 21 majors within the Criminal Justice & Corrections area of study, Criminal Justice & Police Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 7,120
Criminal Justice 3,292
Corrections 925
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 827
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 707
Securities Services Administration/Management 75
Juvenile Corrections 57
Security & Loss Prevention Services 6
Protective Services Operations 5
Corrections Administration 3

View All Police Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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