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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California

35 Colleges in California
7,647 Associate Degrees
$27,490 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminal Justice & Corrections is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #4 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 35 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,647 associate degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School for Your Associate Degree

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California Your choice of criminal justice & corrections for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminal justice & corrections students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.


 

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections.

10 Top California Schools for an Associate in Criminal Justice

1
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections has to check out Golden West College. Golden West College is a large public college located in the suburb of Huntington Beach.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their associate degree from Golden West College receive $39,664 more than the average criminal justice graduate.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Golden West College

2

It is hard to beat Santa Rosa Junior College if you want to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.

Associate recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Santa Rosa Junior College make $31,049 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Santa Rosa Junior College

3
Moreno Valley College crest
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, CA
53 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Moreno Valley College. Moreno Valley College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Moreno Valley.More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Moreno Valley College

4
SWC Chula Vista crest
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, CA

Southwestern College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. SWC Chula Vista is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Chula Vista.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their associate degree from Southwestern College make $2,869 more than the average criminal justice grad.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Southwestern College

5
East Los Angeles College crest
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA

East Los Angeles College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Monterey Park.

After graduating, criminal justice associate recipients generally make an average of $26,151 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from East Los Angeles College

6
41 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Napa, Napa Valley College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Napa Valley College

7
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
80 Annual Graduates

SAC is a very large public college located in the large city of Santa Ana.More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Santa Ana College

8
148 Annual Graduates
$19,203 Median Starting Salary
$6,187 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a very large student population.

Associate students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $19,203 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Fresno City College

9

Riverside City College is a large public college located in the city of Riverside.

Students who graduate with their associate from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,401.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Riverside City College

10
Sacramento City crest
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA
132 Annual Graduates
$25,667 Median Starting Salary
$11,760 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $25,667.

More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Sacramento City College

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Oregon 147 170
Washington 131 155
Nevada 112 274
Hawaii 59 47
Alaska 54 1

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice 6,856
Criminal Justice & Police Science 566
Corrections 188
Criminal Justice Studies 31
Security & Loss Prevention Services 6

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 1,116
Security Science and Technology 32
Homeland Security 25

Notes and References

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