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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Washington

6 Colleges in Washington
570 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$40,755 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Washington ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 570 degrees in criminal justice & corrections to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Washington Your choice of criminal justice & corrections school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Criminal Justice & Corrections Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice
Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice

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 Schools in Washington. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Washington

The schools below may not offer all types of criminal justice degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Washington Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$44,172 Median Starting Salary

Central Washington University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #339 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 144 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Central Washington University get $3,417 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$50,143 Median Starting Salary

Seattle University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 44 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Seattle University make $9,388 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$41,451 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Spokane Community College if you want to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Spokane Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Spokane. This college ranks 25th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 17 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Spokane Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn about $41,451 in their early career salary.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In WA

It is difficult to beat Saint Martin's University if you want to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Saint Martin's is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lacey. This university ranks 40th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 12 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Saint Martin's in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Saint Martin’s University

5
Heritage University crest
Heritage University
Toppenish, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In WA
17.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the rural area of Toppenish, Heritage University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #968 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Heritage University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 17 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Heritage University in the most recent data year.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$40,669 Median Starting Salary

UW Tacoma is a small public university located in the city of Tacoma. This university ranks 49th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 101 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UW Tacoma in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically earn about $40,669 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Washington - Tacoma Campus

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 13,150
Oregon 266 471
Nevada 192 684
Hawaii 164 173
Alaska 119 73

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 219
Criminal Justice 165
Criminal Justice & Police Science 157
Corrections 15
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 14

View All Criminal Justice Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 130
Security Science and Technology 69
Homeland Security 35
Other Homeland Security 6

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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