2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Ranked #4 in popularity,
criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. 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 70 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,766 associate degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School for Your Associate Degree
The criminal justice associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to criminal justice & corrections students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other criminal justice & corrections students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt criminal justice & corrections students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminal justice & corrections related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminal justice & corrections students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Southeast Region
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminal justice & corrections students seeking a an associate degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
14 Top Southeast Region Schools for an Associate in Criminal Justice
It is hard to beat Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale if you wish to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale.
Soon after graduating, criminal justice associate recipients typically make an average of $33,292 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
Columbia Southern University is a good choice for students pursuing an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Associate recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Columbia Southern University make $25,694 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Columbia Southern University
American Public University System is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their associate degree from American Public University System make $14,431 more than the standard criminal justice graduate.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from American Public University System
It is hard to beat Liberty University if you want to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Associate recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Liberty University earn $10,740 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Liberty University
Located in the large city of Tampa, HCC is a public college with a very large student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $33,013 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Hillsborough Community College
