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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region

23 Colleges in the Southwest Region
3,470 Police Science Degrees Awarded
Criminal Justice & Police Science is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #74 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 23 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,470 degrees in criminal justice & police science to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Police Science School

Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of criminal justice & police science school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Police Science School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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

Pick Your Criminal Justice & Police Science Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Police Science
Bachelor's Degrees in Police Science

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 & Police Science Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Police Science in the Southwest Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the police science degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Police Science

1
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TX
44 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in criminal justice & police science has to take a look at Texas State University. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #397 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were about 44 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Texas State University

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In TX
48 Police Science Degrees Awarded

South Texas College is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science. South Texas College is a very large public college located in the midsize city of McAllen. A Best Colleges rank of #591 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means South Texas College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 48 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from South Texas College

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AZ
293 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Grand Canyon University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & police science. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #272 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 293 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Grand Canyon University

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
18th Most Popular In TX

It's hard to beat McLennan Community College if you want to pursue a degree in criminal justice & police science. Located in the midsize city of Waco, MCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #474 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means MCC is a great college overall.

There were about 29 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at MCC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from McLennan Community College

5
Amarillo College crest
Amarillo College
Amarillo, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In TX
35 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Amarillo College is a moderately-sized public college located in the midsize city of Amarillo. This college ranks 62nd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 35 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Amarillo College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Amarillo College

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TX
189 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Laredo, Texas A&M International University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 64th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 189 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M International University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Texas A&M International University

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In AZ
641 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Tempe, Rio Salado College is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #630 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rio Salado College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 641 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Rio Salado College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Rio Salado College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX
56 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Lamar Institute of Technology is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Beaumont. A Best Colleges rank of #220 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lamar Institute of Technology is a great school overall.

There were about 56 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Lamar Institute of Technology in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Lamar Institute of Technology

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX
114 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Austin Community College District is a very large public college located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #640 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Austin Community College District is a great college overall.

There were about 114 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Austin Community College District

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OK
46 Police Science Degrees Awarded

OSU-OKC is a small public university located in the large city of Oklahoma City. This university ranks 13th out of 32 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 46 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at OSU-OKC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City

Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice & police science schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 905 688
Arizona 670 409
Oklahoma 565 111
New Mexico 416 33

View All Rankings >

One of 21 majors within the Criminal Justice & Corrections area of study, Criminal Justice & Police Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 6,952
Criminal Justice 3,424
Corrections 1,281
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 753
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 214
Securities Services Administration/Management 122
Juvenile Corrections 69
Protective Services Operations 13
Corrections Administration 7
Security & Loss Prevention Services 1

View All Police Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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