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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools

571 Colleges in the United States
52,492 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,809 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 571 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 52,492 bachelor'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 Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools The criminal justice bachelor'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 bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different 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 bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor'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 schools for criminal justice & corrections students working on their bachelor'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 Bachelor's Degree Schools.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

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

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor'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 Bachelor's in Criminal Justice

1
78 Annual Graduates
$40,192 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections has to check out George Washington University. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from George Washington University earn $5,383 more than the average criminal justice grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from George Washington University

2
608 Annual Graduates
$49,354 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections has to take a look at American Public University System. American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the fringe town of Charles Town.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from American Public University System receive $14,545 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

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

3
363 Annual Graduates
$40,661 Median Starting Salary
$20,761 Median Student Debt

George Mason University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from George Mason University earn $5,852 more than the standard criminal justice graduate.

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

4
805 Annual Graduates
$39,195 Median Starting Salary
$46,989 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Phoenix - Arizona if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large city of Phoenix, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at University of Phoenix - Arizona make $4,386 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

5
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
565 Annual Graduates
$31,412 Median Starting Salary
$21,170 Median Student Debt

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

Soon after graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients typically make about $31,412 in the first five years of their career.

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

6
263 Annual Graduates
$52,800 Median Starting Salary
$30,204 Median Student Debt

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

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia Southern University earn a boost of about $17,991 above the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

7
373 Annual Graduates
$37,629 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Arizona State University - Tempe earn $2,820 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

8
1,619 Annual Graduates
$37,563 Median Starting Salary
$10,500 Median Student Debt

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

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at John Jay College of Criminal Justice earn $2,754 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
158 Annual Graduates
$37,461 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Michigan State University get an earnings boost of around $2,652 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Michigan State University

10
214 Annual Graduates
$40,247 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

UMass Lowell is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Lowell.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from University of Massachusetts - Lowell get an earnings boost of about $5,438 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

11
262 Annual Graduates
$37,629 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

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

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from Arizona State University - Skysong earn $2,820 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

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

12
899 Annual Graduates
$33,981 Median Starting Salary
$23,218 Median Student Debt

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

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $33,981.

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

13
194 Annual Graduates
$34,159 Median Starting Salary
$25,707 Median Student Debt

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

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $34,159.

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

13
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14
58 Annual Graduates
$44,672 Median Starting Salary
$22,809 Median Student Debt

Located in the large 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 bachelor's degree from Northeastern University receive $9,863 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

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

15
472 Annual Graduates
$43,251 Median Starting Salary
$37,625 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of San Diego, UAGC is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Arizona Global Campus receive an earnings boost of around $8,442 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Arizona Global Campus

16
49 Annual Graduates
$38,562 Median Starting Salary
$20,429 Median Student Debt

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University receive $3,753 more than the standard criminal justice graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Texas Christian University

17
524 Annual Graduates
$31,676 Median Starting Salary
$21,731 Median Student Debt

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

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,676.

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

18
614 Annual Graduates
$33,856 Median Starting Salary
$18,623 Median Student Debt

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

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $33,856 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Florida International University

19
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN
$41,882 Median Starting Salary
$40,244 Median Student Debt

Purdue University Global is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Purdue University Global get an earnings boost of approximately $7,073 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Purdue University Global

20
329 Annual Graduates
$33,653 Median Starting Salary
$20,484 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $33,653 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Nevada - Las Vegas

21
104 Annual Graduates
$41,544 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Mankato.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Minnesota State University - Mankato earn a boost of about $6,735 above the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Minnesota State University - Mankato

22
56 Annual Graduates
$66,436 Median Starting Salary
$22,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Adrian, Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Siena Heights University receive an earnings boost of about $31,627 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Siena Heights University

23
216 Annual Graduates
$31,800 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually earn about $31,800 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of South Carolina - Columbia

24
192 Annual Graduates
$34,572 Median Starting Salary
$15,875 Median Student Debt

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

Soon after graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually earn about $34,572 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Illinois at Chicago

Rest of the Top 50 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools

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27
28
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
29
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
30
31
32
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

33

34
35
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
36
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
37
St. Leo University crest
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL
38
39
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
40
41
University of New Haven crest
University of New Haven
West Haven, CT

42

43
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
44
45
46
46
47
48
49

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 571 different United States criminal justice & corrections schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Park University Parkville, MO
51 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
52 Seattle University Seattle, WA
53 University of Georgia Athens, GA
54 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
55 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
56 Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX
57 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
58 Illinois State University Normal, IL
59 Weber State University Ogden, UT
60 Bellevue University Bellevue, NE
61 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
62 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
63 Southwestern College Winfield, KS
64 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
65 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
66 University of North Texas Denton, TX
67 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
68 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
69 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
70 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
71 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
72 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
73 Waldorf University Forest City, IA
74 Columbia College Columbia, SC
75 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
76 University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK
77 Ball State University Muncie, IN
78 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
79 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
80 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
81 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
82 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
83 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
84 Marymount University Arlington, VA
85 Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
86 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
87 Fisher College Boston, MA
88 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
89 Monroe College Bronx, NY
90 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
91 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
92 Boise State University Boise, ID
93 Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA
94 Bethel University McKenzie, TN
95 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
96 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI
97 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
98 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
99 Madonna University Livonia, MI
100 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
101 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
102 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR
103 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
104 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI
105 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
106 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
107 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
108 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
109 University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY
110 Salem State University Salem, MA
111 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
112 Columbia College Columbia, MO
113 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
114 University of Toledo Toledo, OH

Criminal Justice & Corrections by Region

View the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor'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 31,518
Criminal Justice 14,288
Criminal Justice & Police Science 3,210
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 1,748
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 777
Securities Services Administration/Management 433
Corrections 354
Corrections Administration 98
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 44
Juvenile Corrections 17

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related Major Annual Graduates
Security Science and Technology 3,068
Homeland Security 2,833
Fire Protection 1,461
Other Homeland Security 814

Notes and References

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