2025 Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Plains States Region
23
Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,441
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Ranked #74 in popularity,
criminal justice & police science is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 23 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,441 degrees in criminal justice & police science annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Police Science School
Your choice of criminal justice & police science school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice & police science schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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
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 & Police Science 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 & Police Science 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 police science degree levels they offer.
10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Police Science
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In MN
51
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Minnesota State University - Mankato is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & police science. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #412 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.
There were roughly 51 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Minnesota State University - Mankato
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MN
148
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science has to check out Alexandria Technical & Community College. Located in the town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 41st out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 148 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at ATCC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Alexandria Technical & Community College
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
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In MN
Metropolitan State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & police science. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 44th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 28 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Metro State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Metropolitan State University
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In MN
67
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in criminal justice & police science has to check out Century College. Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #486 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 67 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Century College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In MN
77
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the small city of St. Cloud. A Best Colleges rank of #129 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a great university overall.
There were roughly 77 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Minnesota in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Rasmussen University - Minnesota
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In MN
44
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Located in the town of Cloquet, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 1464th out of 2,152 schools for overall quality nationwide.
There were about 44 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IA
51
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.
There were roughly 51 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Des Moines Area Community College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In MN
Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 36th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 24 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at North Hennepin Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from North Hennepin Community College
Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 32nd out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were about 26 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Western Iowa Tech Community College in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Western Iowa Tech Community College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In MO
133
Police Science Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Joplin, Missouri Southern is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 28th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 133 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Southern in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Missouri Southern State University
