2027 Best Criminal Justice Schools in Missouri
Criminal Justice programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. The schools below stand out for the quality of their criminal justice programs.
College Factual analyzed 9 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best criminal justice schools.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Criminal Justice in Missouri
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall criminal justice education in Missouri.
Top Schools in Criminal Justice
Park University tops our 2027 ranking of the best criminal justice schools. Park University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Parkville. The six-year graduation rate is 37%. There were roughly 103 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from Park University earn around $49,305 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $18,299 to complete this degree.
Get the full criminal justice details for Park University
University Of Central Missouri came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best criminal justice schools. This large public university is located in the town of Warrensburg. The six-year graduation rate is 54%. About 109 criminal justice degrees were awarded at University Of Central Missouri in the most recent year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from University Of Central Missouri earn around $41,494 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $23,279 to complete this degree.
See the full criminal justice program report for University Of Central Missouri
A rank of #3 makes Columbia College Missouri one of the top schools for criminal justice. Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Roughly 43% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 103 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Columbia College Missouri in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from Columbia College Missouri earn around $46,741 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,344.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Columbia College Missouri
A rank of #4 makes Missouri Southern State University one of the top schools for criminal justice. This moderately-sized public university is located in the city of Joplin. About 40% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 51 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Missouri Southern State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from Missouri Southern State University generally make around $32,776. Typical student debt for the program is $21,972.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Missouri Southern State University
Students looking for a strong criminal justice program will find one at Drury University College Of Continuing Professional Studies, which ranked #5. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Springfield. About 21% of students finish within six years. Drury University College Of Continuing Professional Studies awarded about 61 criminal justice degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from Drury University College Of Continuing Professional Studies generally make around $39,646. Students borrow a median of $21,133 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Drury University College Of Continuing Professional Studies
Central Methodist University College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences came in at #6 for criminal justice this year. Central Methodist University College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette. Roughly 51% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 11 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Central Methodist University College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences in the most recent data year. Students who receive their criminal justice degree from Central Methodist University College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences earn around $36,223 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree.
Get the full criminal justice details for Central Methodist University College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences
Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies landed the #7 spot for criminal justice this year. Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette. There were roughly 10 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients from Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies generally make around $36,223. Typical student debt for the program is $26,000.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies
Culver Stockton College earned the #8 position for criminal justice this year. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the rural area of Canton. About 39% of students finish within six years. Culver Stockton College awarded about 11 criminal justice degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the criminal justice program make about $33,394 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
Read more about the criminal justice program at Culver Stockton College
Lincoln University Missouri earned the #9 position for criminal justice this year. This mid-sized public university is located in the city of Jefferson City. The six-year graduation rate is 20%. About 11 criminal justice degrees were awarded at Lincoln University Missouri in the most recent year. Criminal Justice graduates of Lincoln University Missouri earn a median of $32,331 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $37,171.
See the full criminal justice program report for Lincoln University Missouri
More Criminal Justice Rankings
View All Criminal Justice Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 9 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
