2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Illinois
If you pursue a associate degree in
criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #4 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 643 associate degrees in criminal justice & corrections to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School for Your Associate Degree
The criminal justice associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to criminal justice & corrections students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other criminal justice & corrections students want to attend this school to pursue a associate 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.
- Student Debt - How much debt criminal justice & corrections students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminal justice & corrections related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminal justice & corrections students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice & Corrections in Illinois
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections.
Top Illinois Schools for an Associate in Criminal Justice
Oakton Community College is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. Oakton Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the small city of Des Plaines.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $30,440 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Oakton Community College
It's hard to beat Southwestern Illinois College if you want to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. SWIC is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Belleville.
Associate recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Southwestern Illinois College get $8,102 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Southwestern Illinois College
Any student who is interested in an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections has to take a look at Lewis and Clark Community College. Located in the small suburb of Godfrey, Lewis and Clark Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make an average of $33,408 in their early career salary.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Lewis and Clark Community College
Moraine Valley Community College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in criminal justice & corrections. MVCC is a large public college located in the large suburb of Palos Hills.
After graduating, criminal justice associate recipients typically make an average of $33,400 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Moraine Valley Community College
Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit university located in the midsize city of Rockford.
Criminal Justice & Corrections associate degree recipients from Rasmussen University - Illinois earn a boost of around $4,248 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.
More information about a associate in criminal justice & corrections from Rasmussen University - Illinois
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