2023 Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
13
Ranked Colleges
446
Degrees Awarded
$24,400
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 46,814 people earned their degree in criminal justice studies, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States.
Across the Southwest region, there were 6,952 criminal justice studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice studies programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Studies Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree vets studying criminal justice studies.
Top 13 Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Christian University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and it awarded 17 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
TCU also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1.Among the 11,379 students enrolled at Texas Christian University, 520 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 405 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,096. To help with additional expenses, 343 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas Christian University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full TCU Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Sam Houston State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Sam Houston State University is a public institution located in Huntsville, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 43 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SHSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,092 of the 21,912 students enrolled at SHSU were GI Bill® students, of which 496 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,097. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Sam Houston State University]](/colleges/sam-houston-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Canyon University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 126 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Grand Canyon University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, Grand Canyon University supports 103,427 students, and 7,172 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4,951 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,970. During this same period, 5 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Grand Canyon University]](/colleges/grand-canyon-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston - Downtown. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s list. University of Houston - Downtown is located in Houston, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees to qualified students.
UH Downtown also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4.Among the 15,239 students enrolled at UH Downtown, 20 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,002. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UH Downtown does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Arlington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s list. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
UT Arlington also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #6.According to our most recent data, The University of Texas at Arlington supports 48,072 students, and 2,109 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,211 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at Arlington offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Texas at Arlington]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified masters’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying criminal justice studies list, UTSA has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 34,742 students enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio, 3,565 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,531. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Texas at San Antonio]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio/student-life/veterans/)
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 23 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 2,038 of the 40,953 students enrolled at UNT were GI Bill® students, of which 1,138 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UNT does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of North Texas]](/colleges/university-of-north-texas/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #8, Tarleton State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Stephenville, Texas, and it awarded 37 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Tarleton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 14,016 students enrolled at Tarleton, 755 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 317 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,304. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Tarleton State University]](/colleges/tarleton-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Angelo State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s ranking. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s criminal justice studies students in 2020-2021.
Angelo State also made our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9.Among the 10,775 students enrolled at Angelo State, 507 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,911. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Angelo State]](/colleges/angelo-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Lamar University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice studies degrees to 97 students in 2020-2021.
Lamar University also took the #7 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Lamar University supports 16,637 students, and 692 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 353 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,108. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Lamar University Veteran Student Life Report
West Texas A&M University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s ranking. West Texas A&M University is a medium-sized public school situated in Canyon, Texas. It awarded 5 masters’s criminal justice studies degrees in 2020-2021.
West Texas A&M University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 10,036 students enrolled at West Texas A&M University, 446 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 191 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,617. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full West Texas A&M University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #12, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s list. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice studies degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NMSU Main Campus, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 620 of the 14,227 students enrolled at New Mexico State University - Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 285 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,880. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
MSU Texas did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Criminal Justice Studies for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. Wichita Falls, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice studies degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Texas, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, MSU Texas supports 5,860 students, and 318 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 137 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,829. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. MSU Texas does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at MSU Texas]](/colleges/midwestern-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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