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2024 Best Criminal Justice Studies Master's Degree Schools

118 Colleges in the United States
3,405 Master's Degrees
Criminal Justice Studies is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #57 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.

College Factual reviewed 118 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of criminal justice studies. Combined, these schools handed out 3,405 master's degrees in criminal justice studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice Studies School for Your Master's Degree

Best Criminal Justice Studies Master's Degree Schools Your choice of criminal justice studies for getting your master's 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

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

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminal justice studies students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Studies 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 Studies Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Criminal Justice Studies in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminal justice studies students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

18 Top Schools for a Master's in Criminal Justice Studies

1
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Annual Graduates

Boston University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in criminal justice studies. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Boston University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat American Public University System if you wish to pursue a master's degree in criminal justice studies. American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from American Public University System

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Northeastern University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in criminal justice studies. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Northeastern University

4
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in criminal justice studies has to look into Florida State University. Florida State is a very large public university located in the city of Tallahassee.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Florida State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Texas Christian University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Annual Graduates

SHSU is a very large public university located in the distant town of Huntsville.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Sam Houston State University

8
University of New Haven crest
University of New Haven
West Haven, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Annual Graduates

University of New Haven is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of West Haven.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from University of New Haven

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
26 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from George Mason University

10
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
494 Annual Graduates

Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Liberty University

11
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Seattle University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from University of Central Florida

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

13
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Simpson College

14
St. Leo University crest
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
210 Annual Graduates

St. Leo University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small suburb of Saint Leo.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Saint Leo University

15
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from American University

16
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24 Annual Graduates

Westfield is a small public university located in the large suburb of Westfield.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from Westfield State University

17
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
19 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice studies from California State University - Long Beach

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Criminal Justice Studies students that almost earned our Best Criminal Justice Studies Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
18 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
19 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
19 Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
20 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
21 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
22 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
23 Florida International University Miami, FL
24 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
25 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA

Criminal Justice Studies by Region

View the Best Criminal Justice Studies Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice 2,792
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 469
Securities Services Administration/Management 130
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 125
Criminal Justice & Police Science 90
Security & Loss Prevention Services 62
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 33
Juvenile Corrections 20
Corrections Administration 8
Corrections 1

Notes and References

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