2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 10,182 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 82nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,583 and had an average of $24,397 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,416 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,967 and $21,881 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 71 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in criminology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

University of California - Irvine

Irvine, California

#1 in overall quality

$28,456 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$60,325 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #1 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456.

Read full report on Criminology at University of California - Irvine

#2

California State University - Fresno

Fresno, California

#3 in overall quality

$17,581 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California State University - Fresno Criminology Report

#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$39,009 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminology at San Diego State University

#4

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

#4 in overall quality

$18,790 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 10 masters’s criminology degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790.

Full San Jose State University Criminology Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $48-$75k)

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.

Featured Social Science Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >