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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Kentucky

10 Colleges in Kentucky
1,681 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,058 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminal Justice & Corrections is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #7 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in Kentucky to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice & corrections students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,681 degrees in criminal justice & corrections to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Kentucky Your choice of criminal justice & corrections school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Criminal Justice & Corrections Degree Level

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

The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Kentucky. 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 & Corrections in Kentucky

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 degree levels they offer.

10 Top Kentucky Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
269 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
11.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Louisville is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Louisville, UofL is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #338 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UofL is a great university overall.

There were about 269 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at University of Louisville get $18,082 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Louisville

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
249 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$32,993 Median Starting Salary

Eastern Kentucky University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Eastern is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Richmond. This university ranks 10th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 249 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Eastern in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $32,993 for their early career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Eastern Kentucky University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
189 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
39.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to take a look at University of the Cumberlands. Cumberlands is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the remote town of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #434 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cumberlands is a great university overall.

There were about 189 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Cumberlands in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $30,064.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of the Cumberlands

4
Bellarmine U crest
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20.0% Growth in Graduates
$39,384 Median Starting Salary

Bellarmine University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Louisville. A Best Colleges rank of #682 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bellarmine U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 25 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Bellarmine U in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Bellarmine University earn $6,326 more than the typical criminal justice graduate.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Bellarmine University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48.0% Growth in Graduates
$28,387 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Pikeville, UPIKE is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 16th out of 38 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were approximately 25 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UPIKE in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients generally earn an average of $28,387 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Pikeville

6
Campbellsville University crest
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Campbellsville, Campbellsville University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #984 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Campbellsville University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 38 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Campbellsville University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn about $23,456 for their early career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Campbellsville University

7
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,751 Median Starting Salary

NKU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Highland Heights. A Best Colleges rank of #716 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NKU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at NKU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients typically make an average of $34,751 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Northern Kentucky University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$30,268 Median Starting Salary
$21,411 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of Murray, Murray State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 9th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 25 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Murray State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $30,268.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Murray State University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,467 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Columbia, Lindsey Wilson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 13th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 15 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Lindsey Wilson College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $25,467.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Lindsey Wilson College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,792 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Frankfort, KY State is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 2088th out of 2,217 schools for overall quality nationwide.

There were approximately 12 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at KY State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $25,792.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Kentucky State University

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia2872,157
Florida2824,836
North Carolina2792,701
Virginia2742,889
Tennessee2691,212
South Carolina248993
Louisiana242972
Mississippi234581
Arkansas234641
Alabama2331,413
West Virginia2071,291

View All Rankings >

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

Criminal Justice Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Criminal Justice1,288
Criminal Justice Studies268
Criminal Justice & Police Science42
Securities Services Administration/Management36
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General25
Corrections22

View All Criminal Justice Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Fire Protection146
Other Homeland Security119
Homeland Security107
Security Science and Technology70

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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