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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in the Southwest Region

14 Ranked Colleges
401 Degrees Awarded
$17,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master's in the Southwest Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Criminal Justice Studies is the 16th most popular major in the country with 46,252 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Southwest region, there were 6,735 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 401 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,078 and $37,227 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in criminal justice studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminal justice studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools

The criminal justice studies 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 “Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region”.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree criminal justice studies students.

Top 14 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice Studies in the Southwest Region

#1

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Sam Houston State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 43 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree criminal justice studies students list, SHSU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Sam Houston State University are $15,704, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Sam Houston State University

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 93 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree criminal justice studies students list, Grand Canyon University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Grand Canyon University are $11,436, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Grand Canyon University

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston - Downtown landed the #3 spot on the list. UH Downtown is a fairly large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 22 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Downtown also took the #3 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UH Downtown are $15,739, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Houston - Downtown Criminal Justice Studies Report

#4

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas
#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend MSU Texas. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. MSU Texas is a medium-sized public school situated in Wichita Falls, Texas. It awarded 7 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Texas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MSU Texas are $7,935.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at MSU Texas

#5

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Tarleton State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region. Tarleton State University is a fairly large public school situated in Stephenville, Texas. It awarded 32 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree criminal justice studies students list, Tarleton has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Tarleton are $15,485, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Tarleton Criminal Justice Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

University of North Texas came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 17 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree criminal justice studies students list, UNT has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNT are $15,618.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at UNT

#7

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas
#8 in overall quality

Lamar University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Lamar University is a fairly large public school situated in Beaumont, Texas. It awarded 86 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lamar University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Lamar University are $15,699.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at Lamar University

#8

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas
#10 in overall quality

Angelo State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in San Angelo, Texas, and it awarded 5 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Angelo State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Angelo State are $14,396, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Angelo State Criminal Justice Studies Report

#12 in overall quality

University of North Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. University of North Texas at Dallas is a small public school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 9 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT Dallas also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNT Dallas are $13,681, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at UNT Dallas

#11 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Tyler, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler also took the #11 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Tyler are $16,308.

Full UT Tyler Criminal Justice Studies Report

#5 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Arlington are $23,376, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Criminal Justice Studies Report

#14 in overall quality

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it awarded 16 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NMSU Main Campus, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at New Mexico State University - Main Campus are $18,275.

Read full report on Criminal Justice Studies at NMSU Main Campus

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminal justice studies students in 2019-2020.

UTSA also took the #9 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at San Antonio are $25,807.

Full UTSA Criminal Justice Studies Report

#14

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas
#1 in overall quality

Texas Christian University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. TCU is a fairly large school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 13 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2019-2020.

TCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Christian University are $32,268, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminal Justice Studies at Texas Christian University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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