2025 Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

If you pursue a associate degree in criminal justice, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #10 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 63 associate degrees in criminal justice during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on criminal justice students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of criminal justice students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminal justice related body.

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

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

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 Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminal justice students seeking a an associate degree.

Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Criminal Justice

1

Columbia College
Columbia, MO

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

31 Annual Graduates

Columbia College is a good decision for students interested in an associate degree in criminal justice. Columbia College Missouri is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Columbia.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Columbia College

2

Park University
Parkville, MO

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

18 Annual Graduates

Park University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in criminal justice. Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Park University

Best Criminal Justice Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Kansas	275	90
Missouri	210	68
South Dakota	148	0
North Dakota	144	2

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice Related Rankings by Major

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

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Police Science	597
Criminal Justice Studies	319
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General	48
Corrections	17
Juvenile Corrections	1

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.