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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

18 Colleges in the Plains States Region
486 Master's Degrees
$45,952 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #30 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 18 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & corrections. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 486 master's degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School for Your Master's Degree

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of criminal justice & corrections for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Criminal Justice Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 & Corrections Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Plains States Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Master's in Criminal Justice

1
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
5 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Simpson College. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Indianola.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Simpson College

2

University of St Thomas Minnesota is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Master's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at University of St Thomas Minnesota get $38,143 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of St Thomas Minnesota

3
3 Annual Graduates

North Dakota State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. North Dakota State University is a large public university located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

3
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to look into Walden University. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Walden University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, criminal justice master's recipients usually earn about $47,250 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Walden University

4
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
4 Annual Graduates

Saint Louis University is a great option for students interested in a master's degree in criminal justice & corrections. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Saint Louis University

5
SC crest
Southwestern College
Winfield, KS
5 Annual Graduates

SC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Winfield.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Southwestern College

6

Located in the large city of Omaha, UNOMAHA is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their master's degree from University of Nebraska at Omaha earn $2,730 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Nebraska at Omaha

7
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN

Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $45,048.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Capella University

8

Located in the city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $35,451.

More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Saint Ambrose University

9
Webster crest
Webster University
Saint Louis, MO
23 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Webster is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in criminal justice & corrections from Webster University

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice & corrections colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 193 80
Minnesota 174 279
Iowa 154 36
Kansas 149 22
Nebraska 123 66
North Dakota 115 3

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Criminal Justice Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice 282
Criminal Justice Studies 183
Securities Services Administration/Management 20
Corrections 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Homeland Security 99
Homeland Security 77
Security Science and Technology 39

Notes and References

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