2024 Best Criminal Justice Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

If you pursue a master's degree in criminal justice, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #69 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 51 master's degrees in criminal justice during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on criminal justice students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other criminal justice students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminal justice related body.

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

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

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 Master's Degree Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you.

 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Criminal Justice in Illinois

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminal justice students seeking a a master's degree.

Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in Criminal Justice

1

Western Illinois University
Macomb, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

43 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in criminal justice needs to take a look at Western Illinois University. WIU is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Macomb.More information about a master’s in criminal justice from Western Illinois University

2

Aurora University
Aurora, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

8 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in criminal justice needs to look into Aurora University. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice from Aurora University

Best Criminal Justice Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	494	33
Michigan	476	57
Indiana	375	92

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice Related Rankings by Major

Criminal Justice is one of 21 different types of Criminal Justice & Corrections programs to choose from.

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies	67
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice	37
Securities Services Administration/Management	23

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.