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2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k

43 Ranked Colleges
783 Degrees Awarded
$22,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master's For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Criminology is the 79th most popular major in the country with 10,182 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 783 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 43 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the criminology program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $0-$30k)

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760.

Full University of Pennsylvania Criminology Report

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Irvine Criminology Report

#3

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - College Park. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 22 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

UMCP also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland - College Park are $30,885.

Read more about Criminology at UMCP

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. USF Tampa is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 19 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

USF Tampa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of South Florida - Main Campus are $21,126, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminology at University of South Florida - Main Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 11 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581.

Full California State University - Fresno Criminology Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminology at SDSU

University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 13 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UH Clear Lake are $19,216, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Houston - Clear Lake Criminology Report

#21 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 10 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #21. Average graduate tuition and fees at Arizona State University - Tempe are $27,048, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminology at ASU - Tempe

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Dallas are $28,610, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at The University of Texas at Dallas

#16 in overall quality

University of Nevada - Reno ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Reno, Nevada, and it awarded 6 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

UNR also took the #16 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nevada - Reno are $21,971, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminology at UNR

#11

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Lindenwood University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Charles, Missouri that handed out 33 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Lindenwood University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Lindenwood University are $9,550, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminology at Lindenwood University

#12

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana
#24 in overall quality

Indiana State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana State University is a fairly large school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 17 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Indiana State also made our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana State University are $15,346, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminology at Indiana State

#13

Niagara University

Niagara University, New York
#13 in overall quality

Niagara University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Niagara University, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Niagara also took the #13 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Niagara are $14,893, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminology at Niagara

#14

Saint Vincent College

Latrobe, Pennsylvania
#7 in overall quality

Saint Vincent College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Saint Vincent is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It awarded 15 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Saint Vincent not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Vincent are $14,310, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminology at Saint Vincent College

#15

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State are $18,790, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at San Jose State University

#16

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 12 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - St Louis are $30,154, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at UMSL

Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large public school situated in Commerce, Texas. It awarded 18 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M University - Commerce are $14,549.

Full Texas A&M Commerce Criminology Report

#23 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

SIUC also took the #23 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Read more about Criminology at SIUC

#19

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona
#25 in overall quality

Northern Arizona University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

NAU also took the #25 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Arizona University are $19,489, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full NAU Criminology Report

#20

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware

University of Delaware ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Newark, Delaware, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified masters’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

UD also took the #0 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UD are $35,192, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminology at UD

#21

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia
#9 in overall quality

George Washington University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. GWU is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

GWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GWU are $31,824, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at GWU

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Missouri State also made our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri State University - Springfield are $12,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminology at Missouri State

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 33 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus are $15,823, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at BGSU

Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a medium-sized public school situated in Kingsville, Texas. It awarded 19 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M Kingsville are $14,066, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

#25

Stockton University

Galloway, New Jersey

Stockton University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Galloway, New Jersey, and it awarded 18 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Stockton University are $21,545, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Stockton University Criminology Report

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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