College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

23 Colleges in North Carolina
1,692 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,158 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 23 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & corrections. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,692 bachelor's degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina Your choice of criminal justice & corrections for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

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 bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in North Carolina

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

10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice

1
219 Annual Graduates
$36,155 Median Starting Salary
$15,716 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections has to look into University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually make about $36,155 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2
162 Annual Graduates
$36,374 Median Starting Salary
$21,620 Median Student Debt

East Carolina University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. ECU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Greenville.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from East Carolina University receive an earnings boost of around $2,216 above the typical income of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

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

3
143 Annual Graduates
$35,796 Median Starting Salary
$20,589 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to take a look at Appalachian State University. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $35,796 in their early career salary.

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

4
156 Annual Graduates
$38,682 Median Starting Salary
$17,030 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Western Carolina University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. WCU is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Cullowhee.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from Western Carolina University receive $4,524 more than the average criminal justice grad.

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

5
146 Annual Graduates
$35,553 Median Starting Salary
$9,500 Median Student Debt

UNC Pembroke is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Pembroke.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $35,553.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of North Carolina at Pembroke

6
31 Annual Graduates
$33,735 Median Starting Salary
$17,070 Median Student Debt

North Carolina Wesleyan College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Rocky Mount.

After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $33,735 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from North Carolina Wesleyan College

7

Located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville State University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $29,016 in the first couple years of their career.

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

8
114 Annual Graduates
$33,829 Median Starting Salary
$18,608 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Durham, North Carolina Central University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Soon after graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients typically make about $33,829 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from North Carolina Central University

9

Located in the rural area of Mount Olive, UMO is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Mount Olive receive $6,481 more than the typical criminal justice student.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Mount Olive

10
101 Annual Graduates
$32,152 Median Starting Salary
$15,991 Median Student Debt

NC A&T is a fairly large public university located in the city of Greensboro.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $32,152.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from North Carolina A & T State University

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 3,420
Georgia 224 1,380
Tennessee 220 893
Virginia 213 1,745
South Carolina 195 654
Kentucky 187 601
Alabama 184 924
Louisiana 171 511
Mississippi 169 370
Arkansas 167 423
West Virginia 147 904

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Criminal Justice Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 1,427
Criminal Justice 265

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 58
Homeland Security 44
Security Science and Technology 20

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options