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2025 Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools

106 Colleges in the United States
6,490 Associate Degrees
Ranked #15 in popularity, criminal justice studies is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 106 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,490 associate degrees in criminal justice studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice Studies School for Your Associate Degree

Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools Your choice of criminal justice studies for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminal justice studies students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The criminal justice studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice Studies in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminal justice studies 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.

21 Top Schools for an Associate in Criminal Justice Studies

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in criminal justice studies needs to take a look at Gateway Technical College. Gateway Technical College is a fairly large public college located in the small city of Kenosha.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Gateway Technical College

2
Ivy Tech Community College crest
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
180 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Ivy Tech Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice studies. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Indianapolis.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Ivy Tech Community College

3
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
308 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in criminal justice studies needs to take a look at Purdue University Global. Purdue University Global is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Purdue University Global

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in criminal justice studies has to check out American Public University System. American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the fringe town of Charles Town.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from American Public University System

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from College of Southern Nevada

6
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

Century College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of White Bear Lake.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Century College

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Ogden, WSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Weber State University

8
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Annual Graduates

Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Liberty University

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from South Texas College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Rio Salado College is a fairly large public college located in the midsize city of Tempe.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Rio Salado College

11
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Fergus Falls, M State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Minnesota State Community and Technical College

12
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Glendale Community College is a large public college located in the suburb of Glendale.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Glendale Community College

13
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Annual Graduates

Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public college located in the large suburb of Annandale.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Northern Virginia Community College

14
St. Leo University crest
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

St. Leo University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the town of Saint Leo.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Saint Leo University

15
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Augusta, Augusta Technical College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Augusta Technical College

16
Blinn College crest
Blinn College
Brenham, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Annual Graduates

Blinn College is a large public college located in the town of Brenham.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Blinn College

17
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

Western Technical College is a small public college located in the city of La Crosse.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Western Technical College

18
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Janesville, BTC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Blackhawk Technical College

19
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
168 Annual Graduates

Suffolk County Community College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Selden.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Suffolk County Community College

20
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

DMACC is a very large public college located in the large suburb of Ankeny.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from Des Moines Area Community College

21
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

North Hennepin Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.More information about a associate in criminal justice studies from North Hennepin Community College

Rest of the Top Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Criminal Justice Studies students that almost earned our Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
22 Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN
23 Yavapai College Prescott, AZ
24 Mid-State Technical College Wisconsin Rapids, WI
25 McLennan Community College Waco, TX
26 College of Southern Idaho Twin Falls, ID
27 Central Texas College Killeen, TX
28 Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Rice Lake, WI
29 Phoenix College Phoenix, AZ
30 Bethel University McKenzie, TN
31 Delaware County Community College Media, PA
32 Northcentral Technical College Wausau, WI
33 El Centro College Dallas, TX
34 Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT
35 Bay de Noc Community College Escanaba, MI

Criminal Justice Studies by Region

View the Best Criminal Justice Studies Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Criminal Justice Studies is one of 21 different types of Criminal Justice & Corrections programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice 8,845
Criminal Justice & Police Science 6,379
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 1,191
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 816
Corrections 411
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 27
Juvenile Corrections 7
Securities Services Administration/Management 5
Protective Services Operations 5
Security & Loss Prevention Services 4

Notes and References

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