2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools
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
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.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on criminal justice & corrections students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other criminal justice & corrections students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for criminal justice & corrections to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminal justice & corrections related body.
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
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.
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Featured Criminal Justice & Corrections Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BS in Criminal Justice
Navigating today's complex criminal justice system takes a great communicator with real–world perspective. The goal of SNHU's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice is to get you there. You'll learn from professionals across all disciplines who bring their experience to the classroom.
Learn More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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