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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools

236 Colleges in the United States
7,135 Master's Degrees
$48,557 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #30 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 236 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & corrections. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,135 master's degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School for Your Master's Degree

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools The criminal justice master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

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

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 Master's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Criminal Justice

1

University of Massachusetts - Lowell is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. UMass Lowell is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Lowell.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from University of Massachusetts - Lowell receive $44,837 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Massachusetts - Lowell

2

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from University of Chicago make $51,127 more than the typical criminal justice student.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Chicago

3
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Boston University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Boston University make $4,021 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Boston University

4

It's hard to beat University of San Diego if you want to pursue a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from University of San Diego earn $68,369 more than the typical criminal justice graduate.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of San Diego

5

American Military University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from American Public University System make $13,381 more than the typical criminal justice student.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from American Public University System

6

Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from Northeastern University make $15,270 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Northeastern University

7
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

Florida State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee.

Soon after graduation, criminal justice master's recipients usually earn about $45,057 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Florida State University

8

John Jay is a fairly large public college located in the large city of New York.

Students who graduate with their master's from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $49,410.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from John Jay College of Criminal Justice

9

ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public university located in the city of Scottsdale.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Arizona State University - Skysong make $4,601 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Arizona State University - Skysong

10

Located in the city of Phoenix, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn about $42,565 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Phoenix - Arizona

11

Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $44,679.

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

12
17 Annual Graduates

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Texas Christian University

13

SHSU is a very large public university located in the town of Huntsville.

Criminal Justice & Corrections master's degree recipients from Sam Houston State University receive an earnings boost of about $2,153 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Sam Houston State University

14
28 Annual Graduates

RWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Bristol.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Roger Williams University

15
University of New Haven crest
University of New Haven
West Haven, CT

University of New Haven is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of West Haven.

Master's students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $41,544 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of New Haven

16

Salve Regina is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Newport.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Salve Regina University make $8,929 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Salve Regina University

17

Columbia Southern University is a large private for-profit university located in the town of Orange Beach.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from Columbia Southern University receive $9,944 more than the average criminal justice grad.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Columbia Southern University

18

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at George Mason University get $7,164 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from George Mason University

19
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from Liberty University earn $8,272 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Liberty University

20
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA

Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Seattle University earn $7,039 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Seattle University

21

Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn an average of $45,067 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Central Florida

22

UofL is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Louisville.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at University of Louisville get $20,726 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Louisville

22
3 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

23
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN

Walden University is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn about $47,250 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Walden University

23
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Simpson College

Rest of the Top Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools

26
Curry crest
Curry College
Milton, MA
27
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32
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

33

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35
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Southwestern College
Winfield, KS

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections students that almost earned our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
36 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
37 Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
37 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
38 National University San Diego, CA
39 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
40 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
41 Fisher College Boston, MA
42 Florida International University Miami, FL
43 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
44 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
45 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
46 ,
46 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
47 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL

Criminal Justice & Corrections by Region

View the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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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 Studies 3,405
Criminal Justice 2,792
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 469
Securities Services Administration/Management 130
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 125
Criminal Justice & Police Science 90
Security & Loss Prevention Services 62
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 33
Juvenile Corrections 20
Corrections Administration 8

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security 2,357
Security Science and Technology 1,553
Other Homeland Security 416
Fire Protection 153

Notes and References

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