2022 Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in California

Ranked #19 in popularity, criminal justice is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 98 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for criminal justice students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,637 associate degrees in criminal justice during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice School for Your Associate Degree

The criminal justice associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in California ranking is to help you make that choice.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality criminal justice program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

One Size Does Not Fit All

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for criminal justice.

 

Most Popular Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice in California

Explore the most popular colleges and universities for criminal justice students seeking a an associate degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Most Well Attended Schools for Criminal Justice Students Working on Their Associate

1

East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA

340 Annual Associate Degrees

#7 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

East Los Angeles College is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in criminal justice. East Los Angeles College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Monterey Park. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for associate degrees in criminal justice in California. More information about a associate in criminal justice from East Los Angeles College

2

Imperial Valley College
Imperial, CA

212 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Imperial Valley College is a popular option for individuals pursuing an associate degree in criminal justice. IVC is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Imperial. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Imperial Valley College

3

Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA

209 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Bakersfield College is a popular choice for individuals pursuing an associate degree in criminal justice. Located in the large city of Bakersfield, Bakersfield College is a public college with a very large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Bakersfield College

4

Sierra College
Rocklin, CA

172 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Sierra College is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting an associate degree in criminal justice. Sierra College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Rocklin. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Sierra College

5

Antelope Valley College
Lancaster, CA

170 Annual Associate Degrees

#14 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Antelope Valley College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Lancaster. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Antelope Valley College

6

Fresno City College
Fresno, CA

168 Annual Associate Degrees

#24 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a very large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Fresno City College

6

Southwestern College
Chula Vista, CA

168 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

SWC Chula Vista is a fairly large public college located in the city of Chula Vista. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Southwestern College

8

Citrus College
Glendora, CA

163 Annual Associate Degrees

#19 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Citrus College is a large public college located in the suburb of Glendora. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Citrus College

9

Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA

156 Annual Associate Degrees

#5 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for associate degrees in criminal justice in California. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Sacramento City College

10

Ventura College
Ventura, CA

146 Annual Associate Degrees

#15 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the medium-sized city of Ventura, Ventura College is a public college with a fairly large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Ventura College

11

Long Beach City College
Long Beach, CA

142 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large city of Long Beach, Long Beach City College is a public college with a very large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Long Beach City College

12

Grossmont College
El Cajon, CA

139 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large suburb of El Cajon, Grossmont College is a public college with a fairly large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Grossmont College

12

Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA

139 Annual Associate Degrees

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Pasadena City College is a public college with a fairly large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Pasadena City College

14

Rio Hondo College
Whittier, CA

127 Annual Associate Degrees

#12 Best Quality In CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the suburb of Whittier, RHCCD is a public college with a fairly large student population. More information about a associate in criminal justice from Rio Hondo College

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Criminal Justice students in California that almost earned our Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in California award.

Rank	College	Location
15	El Camino College	Torrance, CA
16	Fullerton College	Fullerton, CA
17	College of the Desert	Palm Desert, CA
17	Butte College	Oroville, CA
19	Mt. San Jacinto College	San Jacinto, CA
20	Diablo Valley College	Pleasant Hill, CA
20	College of the Sequoias	Visalia, CA
22	Merced College	Merced, CA
23	Golden West College	Huntington Beach, CA
24	West Los Angeles College	Culver City, CA

Best Criminal Justice Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Criminal Justice Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	277	113
Oregon	265	18
Nevada	188	13
Hawaii	77	5

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Criminal Justice

One of 13 majors within the Criminal Justice & Corrections area of study, Criminal Justice has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Police Science	510
Corrections	141
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General	87
Criminal Justice Studies	30
Security & Loss Prevention Services	18

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.