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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Virginia

19 Colleges in Virginia
3,926 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$36,194 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 19 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,926 degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Virginia The criminal justice program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections rankings. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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 & Corrections Rankings by 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 Virginia. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Virginia

The schools below may not offer all types of criminal justice degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
362 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$48,191 Median Starting Salary

George Mason University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 362 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at George Mason University get $11,997 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
263 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
26.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to look into Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #240 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 263 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Virginia Commonwealth University receive $3,422 more than the typical criminal justice graduate.

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

3
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,222 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$45,484 Median Starting Salary

Liberty University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg. A Best Colleges rank of #352 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Liberty University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1222 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Liberty University receive an earnings boost of approximately $9,290 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
206 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,656 Median Starting Salary

Northern Virginia Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Northern Virginia Community College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Annandale. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 206 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $34,656 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Northern Virginia Community College

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21.4% Growth in Graduates
$44,543 Median Starting Salary

Marymount is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Arlington. A Best Colleges rank of #574 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Marymount is a great university overall.

There were about 28 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Marymount in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Marymount University earn a boost of approximately $8,349 over the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
115 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
0.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #936 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Radford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 115 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Radford in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically make an average of $34,468 in their early careers.

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

7
AU crest
Averett University
Danville, VA

Located in the distant town of Danville, AU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 42nd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 30 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at AU in the most recent data year. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually earn an average of $37,797 in their early careers.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26.1% Growth in Graduates
$35,311 Median Starting Salary

Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #1015 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Roanoke is a great college overall.

There were approximately 23 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Roanoke in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career income of $35,311.

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

9
ECPI University crest
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,404 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #322 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ECPI University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ECPI University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically earn an average of $33,404 at the beginning of their careers.

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

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,138 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #302 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Shenandoah is a great university overall.

There were approximately 20 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Shenandoah in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually earn around $32,138 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Shenandoah 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
Tennessee2691,212
South Carolina248993
Kentucky244960
Louisiana242972
Mississippi234581
Arkansas234641
Alabama2331,413
West Virginia2071,291

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies2,428
Criminal Justice1,120
Criminal Justice & Police Science356
Corrections13
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice8
Securities Services Administration/Management1

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Security Science and Technology421
Homeland Security156
Other Homeland Security124
Fire Protection56

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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