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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Ohio

28 Colleges in Ohio
4,251 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$40,755 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminal Justice & Corrections is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #7 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in Ohio to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice & corrections students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 4,251 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 Ohio 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. We derive our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

The criminal justice 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 & Corrections Schools in Ohio. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Ohio

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the criminal justice degree levels they offer.

10 Top Ohio Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$124,236 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Union Institute & University. Union is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Union is a great university overall.

There were approximately 159 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Union in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Union Institute & University make $83,481 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
388 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
3.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were about 388 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus make $6,302 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
196 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Kent State University at Kent if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 196 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make an average of $33,980 in their early career salary.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
117 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$37,548 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections has to check out University of Toledo. University of Toledo is a large public university located in the large city of Toledo. A Best Colleges rank of #510 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Toledo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 117 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at University of Toledo in the most recent data year. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually earn about $37,548 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$41,013 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #277 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Xavier is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $41,013 in the first couple years of working.

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

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
25.0% Growth in Graduates

North Central State College is a small public college located in the rural area of Mansfield. This college ranks 38th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 36 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at North Central State College in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from North Central State College earn $6,642 more than the average criminal justice student.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from North Central State College

7
Tiffin University crest
Tiffin University
Tiffin, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$44,823 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Tiffin, Tiffin University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 36th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 51 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Tiffin University in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Tiffin University receive an earnings boost of around $4,068 over the typical income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
306 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$29,888 Median Starting Salary

Sinclair Community College is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Dayton. A Best Colleges rank of #552 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Sinclair Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 306 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Sinclair Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $29,888.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
19.2% Growth in Graduates

Youngstown State University is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Youngstown. This university ranks 39th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 146 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Youngstown State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients typically make about $37,325 in their early careers.

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

10
Stark State College crest
Stark State College
North Canton, OH
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$35,014 Median Starting Salary

Stark State College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of North Canton. This college ranks 58th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 31 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Stark State College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually make an average of $35,014 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 2,094
Illinois 304 2,479
Indiana 294 2,197
Wisconsin 273 1,134

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 & Police Science 2,222
Criminal Justice Studies 1,460
Criminal Justice 431
Corrections 59
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 49
Corrections Administration 12
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 10
Security & Loss Prevention Services 6
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 2

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 1,135
Security Science and Technology 225
Homeland Security 98
Other Homeland Security 91

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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