College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Iowa

11 Colleges in Iowa
656 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$40,755 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 11 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Iowa ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 656 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 Iowa 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice & corrections schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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

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 & Corrections Schools in Iowa list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Iowa

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Iowa Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$41,624 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 132 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally earn an average of $41,624 in their early careers.

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

2
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA

Any student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections has to look into Simpson College. Located in the town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #790 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Simpson College is a great college overall.

There were about 29 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Simpson College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Simpson College make $2,107 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
Waldorf crest
Waldorf University
Forest City, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$42,735 Median Starting Salary

Waldorf University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Waldorf is a small private for-profit university located in the rural area of Forest City. This university ranks 14th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 37 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Waldorf in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn an average of $42,735 in the first couple years of working.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$42,555 Median Starting Salary

Des Moines Area Community College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. DMACC is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Ankeny. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 77 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $42,555 for their early career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Des Moines Area Community College

5

Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the small city of Sioux City. This college ranks 32nd out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 27 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Western Iowa Tech Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Western Iowa Tech Community College earn $2,792 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Western Iowa Tech Community College

6

Located in the rural area of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 23rd out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 26 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Hawkeye Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Hawkeye Community College make $8,817 more than the typical criminal justice student.

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

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,121 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #498 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa Central Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 27 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Central Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $39,121.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$46,307 Median Starting Salary

UD is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dubuque. This university ranks 31st out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 28 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from University of Dubuque get an earnings boost of around $5,552 above the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

9
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$45,175 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 33rd out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 23 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Grand View University in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Grand View University make $4,420 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In IA

UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were approximately 13 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year.

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 1,523
Missouri 283 1,221
Kansas 266 583
Nebraska 238 608
North Dakota 210 225
South Dakota 204 154

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 Studies 449
Criminal Justice & Police Science 149
Criminal Justice 51
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 7

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security 437
Fire Protection 139
Security Science and Technology 74

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options