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2025 Best Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

12 Colleges in the Plains States Region
566 Bachelor's Degrees
Ranked #28 in popularity, criminal justice is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 566 bachelor's degrees in criminal justice to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of criminal justice for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

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

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminal justice students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Criminal Justice in the Plains States Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice needs to check out University of Central Missouri. UCM is a large public university located in the distant town of Warrensburg.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from University of Central Missouri

2
Columbia College Missouri crest
Columbia College
Columbia, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice needs to look into Columbia College. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Columbia.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Columbia College

3
Undergraduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
33 Annual Graduates

Missouri Southern State University is a great choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Located in the city of Joplin, Missouri Southern is a public university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Missouri Southern State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Washburn University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Located in the city of Topeka, Washburn University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Washburn University

5
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Park University

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Located in the remote town of McPherson, Central Christian College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Central Christian College of Kansas

7
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from University of Northern Iowa

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Drury University - CCPS is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Springfield.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies

9
14 Annual Graduates

Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Marshall.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Southwest Minnesota State University

10
11 Annual Graduates

Culver - Stockton is a small private not-for-profit college located in the rural area of Canton.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Culver - Stockton College

Best Criminal Justice Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 475 580
Minnesota 446 57
Iowa 403 66
Kansas 352 183
Nebraska 331 5
North Dakota 251 0

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 1,793
Criminal Justice & Police Science 92
Corrections 87
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 41
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 26
Securities Services Administration/Management 13

Notes and References

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