Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

10 Ranked Colleges
208 Degrees Awarded
$18,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 33,568 people earned their degree in criminal justice, making the major the 32nd most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,365 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 208 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State also took the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State University are $37,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Michigan State University Criminal Justice Report

#2

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Ferris State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 24 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Ferris also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Ferris are $7,908.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Ferris State University

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

IUPUI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis are $26,013, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at IUPUI

#4

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Franklin University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Franklin University is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Franklin University, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Franklin University are $16,080.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Franklin University

#5

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

GVSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GVSU are $17,448, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full GVSU Criminal Justice Report

Miami University - Middletown ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami University - Middletown is located in Middletown, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Miami University - Middletown also made our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #0. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Miami University - Middletown are $16,484.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Miami University - Middletown

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Western Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 49 degrees to qualified masters’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Western Illinois University

Miami University - Hamilton ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami University - Hamilton is a small school located in Hamilton, Ohio that handed out 1 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Miami University - Hamilton, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Miami University - Hamilton are $16,484, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Miami University - Hamilton

#9

Tiffin University

Tiffin, Ohio
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Tiffin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tiffin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s criminal justice degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Tiffin University also made our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Tiffin University are $13,000, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Tiffin University

#10

Adrian College

Adrian, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

Adrian College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Adrian, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s criminal justice degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, Adrian has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Adrian are $19,575, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Adrian College Criminal Justice Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Featured Criminal Justice Administration Schools

Find Schools Near You