Criminal Justice Degree Rankings and Reviews

Criminal Justice Degree Rankings by Degree Level

Each level is ranked on its own, because a two-year degree, a four-year degree, a master’s and a doctorate are different purchases. The online rankings score the price of a credit for an online student from another state; the rest score the price of a credit for a resident.

• 683 Programs Associate Degrees Two-year programs, campus and online. Leads on score: Alexandria Technical & Community College, Alexandria, MN (77.0).
• 745 Programs Best Colleges Bachelor’s programs ranked nationally. Leads on score: California State University-East Bay, Hayward, CA (87.1).
• 187 Programs Online Bachelor’s Degrees Bachelor’s degrees you can earn online. Leads on score: Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, AL (73.5).
• 231 Programs Master’s Degrees Master’s programs, campus and online. Leads on score: Salve Regina University, Newport, RI (76.8).
• 57 Programs Online Master’s Degrees Master’s programs you can finish online. Leads on score: University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA (69.5).
• 17 Doctorates PhD Programs Research doctorates, ranked. Leads on score: Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA (62.6).

Criminal Justice Degree Rankings by Student Background

These rankings start from the national online ranking and keep the programs whose school’s own page states what the reader needs, in the same order and with the same scores.

• 64 Programs, Three Degree Levels Military & Veterans Military rates, discounts and waivers. Leads at the bachelor’s level: Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, AL.
• 66 Programs, Three Degree Levels Working Adults Asynchronous classes, no set login times. Leads at the bachelor’s level: Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, AL.
• 33 Programs, Two Degree Levels Police Officers College credit for academy training. Leads at the bachelor’s level: American Public University System, Charles Town, WV.

Criminal Justice Degree Rankings by Program Feature

The lowest-cost ranking orders online programs by per-credit price. The other two start from the national online ranking and keep the programs whose school’s own page states the feature, in the same order and with the same scores.

• 187 Online Programs Lowest Cost Online The lowest per-credit online prices. Lowest price: University of Puerto Rico-Carolina, Carolina, PR ($157 a credit).
• 34 Programs, Two Degree Levels Accelerated Programs Faster formats and shorter finishes. Leads at the bachelor’s level: California State University-Sacramento, Sacramento, CA.
• 12 Programs, Master’s Level No-GRE Master’s Online master’s with no GRE required. Leads at the master’s level: American Public University System, Charles Town, WV.

Rankings by Specialization

A specialization ranking keeps the online programs whose degree, or a concentration within it, is in the field.

• 42 Programs, Three Degree Levels Law Enforcement Programs focused on policing. Leads at the bachelor’s level: University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA.
• 24 Programs, Three Degree Levels Corrections Programs focused on correctional work. Leads at the bachelor’s level: University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA.
• 25 Programs, Two Degree Levels Homeland Security Criminal justice with a security track. Leads at the bachelor’s level: University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA.

Criminal Justice Degree Rankings by State

Each of the 46 state rankings lists that state’s programs from the national ranking, with their national scores, and adds the state’s BLS pay for four officer jobs, and 43 of them give the state’s police education rule from its board or statute. The number on a tile is the state’s ranked programs across the three levels, and the state rankings page lists them all.

• Alabama, AL 30
• Arizona, AZ 27
• Arkansas, AR 24
• California, CA 138
• Colorado, CO 21
• Connecticut, CT 15
• District of Columbia, DC 7
• Florida, FL 62
• Georgia, GA 61
• Idaho, ID 8
• Illinois, IL 55
• Indiana, IN 33
• Iowa, IA 26
• Kansas, KS 16
• Kentucky, KY 31
• Louisiana, LA 29
• Maine, ME 11
• Maryland, MD 22
• Massachusetts, MA 50
• Michigan, MI 44
• Minnesota, MN 32
• Mississippi, MS 24
• Missouri, MO 41
• Nebraska, NE 18
• Nevada, NV 9
• New Hampshire, NH 12
• New Jersey, NJ 50
• New Mexico, NM 16
• New York, NY 97
• North Carolina, NC 82
• North Dakota, ND 9
• Ohio, OH 53
• Oklahoma, OK 26
• Oregon, OR 10
• Pennsylvania, PA 83
• Rhode Island, RI 9
• South Carolina, SC 35
• South Dakota, SD 10
• Tennessee, TN 40
• Texas, TX 112
• Utah, UT 10
• Virginia, VA 46
• Washington, WA 14
• West Virginia, WV 22
• Wisconsin, WI 29
• Wyoming, WY 7

See all state rankings

How the Rankings Score Each Program

Each program is scored against the others at its award level, and every level is scored on the same six factors: cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%). A program is ranked only when its school takes part in federal student aid, which requires accreditation by an agency the U.S. Department of Education recognizes, and when it conferred at least five criminal justice degrees at that level in 2023-24.

Criminal justice has no program accreditor, so the school is the entry bar, and no school can pay to be ranked: a sponsored listing is marked as an ad and never moves a rank. The full methodology explains every weight.

What the Jobs Pay, From Patrol Officer to Probation Officer

Pay is the BLS median for May 2025, the middle of the range: half of the workers in the job earn more and half earn less. Each card also shows what the middle half of workers earn.

• $76,210 Median Pay Police Officer Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (SOC 33-3051): the middle half earn $59,290 to $97,600.
• $93,790 Median Pay Detective Detectives and Criminal Investigators (SOC 33-3021): the middle half earn $69,330 to $120,520.
• $66,270 Median Pay Probation Officer Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists (SOC 21-1092): the middle half earn $54,250 to $84,780.
• $58,940 Median Pay Correctional Officer Correctional Officers and Jailers (SOC 33-3012): the middle half earn $48,640 to $75,850.

BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry education for probation officers. For patrol officers, detectives and correctional officers it lists a high school diploma, with related experience for detectives. The careers guide covers each job, pay by state breaks the figures down, and degree rules for police sets out each state’s education minimum.

Questions About Choosing a Criminal Justice Degree