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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania

42 Colleges in Pennsylvania
3,431 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$40,755 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program 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 42 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,431 degrees in criminal justice & corrections to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Pennsylvania 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice & corrections schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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

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 Schools in Pennsylvania 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 & Corrections in Pennsylvania

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 criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
201 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$38,612 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Temple University. Temple is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were about 201 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually make about $38,612 in their early careers.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$36,959 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 31 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $36,959.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
30.6% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Scranton if you want to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Scranton, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Scranton is a great university overall.

There were roughly 36 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at University of Scranton in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $32,300 in the first couple years of working.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,224 Median Starting Salary

Community College of Philadelphia is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #454 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Community College of Philadelphia is a great college overall.

There were roughly 70 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Community College of Philadelphia in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make an average of $34,224 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Community College of Philadelphia

5
RMU crest
Robert Morris University
Moon Township, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38th Most Popular In PA

Located in the suburb of Moon Township, RMU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #520 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means RMU is a great university overall.

There were about 23 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at RMU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

6
DeSales crest
DeSales University
Center Valley, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$45,505 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Center Valley, DeSales is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #600 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DeSales is a great university overall.

There were about 53 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at DeSales in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from DeSales University make $4,750 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
18.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 45th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 104 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Ship in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $41,143.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$37,311 Median Starting Salary

Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #616 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kutztown University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 83 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Kutztown University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients typically make about $37,311 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
18.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Erie, Mercyhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 76th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 87 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Mercyhurst in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally make around $38,557 in the first five years of their career.

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

10
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
48.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #344 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Widener is a great university overall.

There were about 31 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally make around $31,663 in their early careers.

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 8,021
Maryland 279 944
New Jersey 273 2,955
District of Columbia 188 335
Delaware 175 280

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

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 1,837
Criminal Justice 999
Criminal Justice & Police Science 325
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 168
Corrections 39
Securities Services Administration/Management 29
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 15
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 12
Juvenile Corrections 7

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Security Science and Technology 452
Homeland Security 309
Other Homeland Security 109
Fire Protection 49

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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