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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Tennessee

11 Colleges in Tennessee
1,364 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 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Tennessee ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,364 degrees in criminal justice & corrections annually.

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

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Tennessee Your choice of criminal justice & corrections 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 & corrections 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 & Corrections Degree Level

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

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 Tennessee Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Middle Tennessee State University if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Middle Tennessee State University is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro. A Best Colleges rank of #1036 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Middle Tennessee State University is a great university overall.

There were about 139 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State 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 $37,952.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$37,403 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #959 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Chattanooga is a great university overall.

There were about 92 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically make an average of $37,403 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

3
Bethel crest
Bethel University
McKenzie, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$54,340 Median Starting Salary

Bethel University is a good option for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Bethel is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of McKenzie. A Best Colleges rank of #1370 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bethel is a great university overall.

There were approximately 147 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Bethel in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Bethel University get an earnings boost of around $13,585 above the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$35,900 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Memphis if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. UofM is a very large public university located in the large city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #807 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were about 113 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients typically earn an average of $35,900 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$30,097 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #802 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 95 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,097.

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

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$44,624 Median Starting Salary

WSCC is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Morristown. This college ranks 39th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 156 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at WSCC in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Walters State Community College receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,869 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Walters State Community College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Austin Peay State University is a medium-sized public university located in the midsize city of Clarksville. This university ranks 25th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 92 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Austin Peay State University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $36,749 in the first couple years of working.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$32,555 Median Starting Salary

Tennessee State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Nashville. This university ranks 29th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 53 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee State University 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 $32,555.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$32,167 Median Starting Salary

UT Martin is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Martin. This university ranks 32nd out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 35 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UT Martin in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically earn around $32,167 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Tennessee - Martin

10
King crest
King University
Bristol, TN

King is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bristol. This university ranks 26th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 24 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at King in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients usually earn about $33,580 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 2,157
Florida 282 4,836
North Carolina 279 2,701
Virginia 274 2,889
South Carolina 248 993
Kentucky 244 960
Louisiana 242 972
Mississippi 234 581
Arkansas 234 641
Alabama 233 1,413
West Virginia 207 1,291

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Criminal Justice Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice 759
Criminal Justice Studies 298
Criminal Justice & Police Science 284
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 14
Protective Services Operations 6
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 3

View All Criminal Justice Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 81
Security Science and Technology 41
Homeland Security 29

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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