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2024 Best Criminal Justice Studies Schools in North Carolina

28 Colleges in North Carolina
3,262 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded
Ranked #16 in popularity, criminal justice studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,262 degrees in criminal justice studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice Studies School

Best Criminal Justice Studies Schools in North Carolina The criminal justice studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminal Justice Studies rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Criminal Justice Studies Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice Studies Schools in North Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice Studies in North Carolina

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the criminal justice studies degree levels they offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Criminal Justice Studies

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
260 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

University of North Carolina at Charlotte is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice studies. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were approximately 260 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NC
210 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

East Carolina University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were about 210 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from East Carolina University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NC
145 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

Appalachian State University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies. Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the distant town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 145 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Appalachian State University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NC
149 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

Western Carolina University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice studies. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #859 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 149 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Western Carolina University

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In NC
60 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #931 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Central Piedmont Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 60 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Central Piedmont Community College

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NC
150 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the distant town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 54th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 150 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Pembroke in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from University of North Carolina at Pembroke

7
Methodist crest
Methodist University
Fayetteville, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33rd Most Popular In NC
40.0% Growth in Graduates

Methodist is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fayetteville. A Best Colleges rank of #1245 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Methodist is a great university overall.

There were about 25 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Methodist in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Methodist University

8
Pfeiffer University crest
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
24th Most Popular In NC

Located in the rural area of Misenheimer, Pfeiffer University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1394 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pfeiffer University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 15 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Pfeiffer University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Pfeiffer University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In NC
122 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

North Carolina Central University is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Durham. This university ranks 61st out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 122 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at North Carolina Central University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from North Carolina Central University

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In NC
44 Criminal Justice Studies Degrees Awarded

Forsyth Tech is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #1077 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Forsyth Tech is a great college overall.

There were about 44 criminal justice studies students who graduated with this degree at Forsyth Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice studies from Forsyth Technical Community College

Best Criminal Justice Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Florida7153,590
Georgia6901,423
Virginia6301,771
Tennessee624322
South Carolina530373
Kentucky518239
Mississippi501225
Alabama500408
Louisiana489845
Arkansas466467
West Virginia4101,085

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice Studies is one of 21 different types of Criminal Justice & Corrections programs to choose from.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Police Science678
Criminal Justice379
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General1

View All Criminal Justice Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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