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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

10 Ranked Colleges
505 Degrees Awarded
$14,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Criminal Justice is the 32nd most popular major in the country with 33,568 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Southwest region, there were 3,438 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 505 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,078 and $37,227 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A & M University - Central Texas. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a small public school situated in Killeen, Texas. It awarded 7 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas also made our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A & M University - Central Texas are $13,561, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Rio Grande Valley has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UT Rio Grande Valley Criminal Justice Report

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M International University is a medium-sized public school situated in Laredo, Texas. It awarded 23 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M International University, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M International University are $15,106, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Texas A&M International University Criminal Justice Report

#4

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sam Houston State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. SHSU is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SHSU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Sam Houston State University are $15,704, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminal Justice at SHSU

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #5 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 200 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree criminal justice students whose families make $0-$30k list, ASU - Skysong has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Skysong are $6,724, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Arizona State University - Skysong

#5

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Northeastern State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It awarded 19 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

NSU also made our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern State University are $10,600.

Full NSU Criminal Justice Report

#2 in overall quality

University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large private for-profit school handed out 148 degrees to qualified masters’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UOPX - Arizona, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Phoenix - Arizona are $17,096, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Phoenix - Arizona Criminal Justice Report

#7

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas State is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 17 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas State are $17,040, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Texas State

University of Central Oklahoma ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Central Oklahoma is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

UCO not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Oklahoma are $17,913.

Full University of Central Oklahoma Criminal Justice Report

#9

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, Texas
#5 in overall quality

Wayland Baptist University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Plainview, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

Wayland Baptist University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wayland Baptist University are $14,710, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminal Justice at Wayland Baptist University

#10

Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas
#10 in overall quality

Texas Southern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. TSU is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at TSU are $13,221, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at TSU

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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.

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