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2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region

10 Ranked Colleges
505 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Criminal Justice 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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 33,568 people earned their degree in criminal justice, making the major the 32nd most popular in the United States.

Across the Southwest region, there were 3,438 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 505 criminal justice graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,078 and $37,227 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in criminal justice. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminal justice program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice in the Southwest Region

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #1 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 200 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Skysong are $6,724, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full ASU - Skysong Criminal Justice Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large private for-profit school handed out 148 degrees to qualified masters’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

UOPX - Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UOPX - Arizona are $17,096, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Phoenix - Arizona Criminal Justice Report

#3

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Sam Houston State University landed the #3 spot on the list. SHSU is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 40 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

SHSU also took the #1 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SHSU are $15,704, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at SHSU

#4

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, Texas
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wayland Baptist University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region. Wayland Baptist University is located in Plainview, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

Wayland Baptist University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wayland Baptist University are $14,710, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Wayland Baptist University Criminal Justice Report

#5

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region list. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 17 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also made our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas State are $17,040.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Texas State

#6

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma
#9 in overall quality

Northeastern State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Northeastern State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It awarded 19 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern State University are $10,600, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northeastern State University Criminal Justice Report

#6 in overall quality

Texas A & M University - Central Texas came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Killeen, Texas, this small public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified masters’s criminal justice students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A & M University - Central Texas, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice 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 Texas A & M University - Central Texas are $13,561.

Read full report on Criminal Justice at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

#7 in overall quality

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Criminal Justice Report

#8 in overall quality

Texas A&M International University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 23 masters’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M International University also made our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M International University are $15,106, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Texas A&M International University Criminal Justice Report

#10

Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas
#10 in overall quality

Texas Southern University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for a Master’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminal justice degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Southern University are $13,221, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full TSU Criminal Justice Report

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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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