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

55 Colleges in the Plains States Region
3,093 Bachelor's Degrees
$37,817 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 55 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice & corrections students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,093 bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of criminal justice & corrections for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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 ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

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 schools for criminal justice & corrections students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections.

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

1
104 Annual Graduates
$41,544 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat Minnesota State University - Mankato if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections major at Minnesota State University - Mankato earn $3,727 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Minnesota State University - Mankato

2
241 Annual Graduates
$38,835 Median Starting Salary
$22,561 Median Student Debt

University of Nebraska at Omaha is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large city of Omaha, UNOMAHA is a public university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $38,835.

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

3
58 Annual Graduates
$41,988 Median Starting Salary
$23,125 Median Student Debt

North Dakota State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.

Bachelor's recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at North Dakota State University - Main Campus earn $4,171 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

4
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
18 Annual Graduates
$40,370 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Simpson College is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the fringe town of Indianola.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Simpson College receive an earnings boost of about $2,553 above the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Simpson College

5
121 Annual Graduates
$42,056 Median Starting Salary
$29,426 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Metropolitan State University earn a boost of approximately $4,239 above the typical income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Metropolitan State University

6
135 Annual Graduates
$36,457 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients typically make about $36,457 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Iowa State University

7
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
145 Annual Graduates
$39,411 Median Starting Salary
$18,299 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually earn around $39,411 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Park University

8
Bellevue University crest
Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE

Bellevue University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Bellevue.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Bellevue University receive an earnings boost of around $5,916 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Bellevue University

9
SC crest
Southwestern College
Winfield, KS

SC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Winfield.

Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from Southwestern College receive an earnings boost of approximately $12,466 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Southwestern College

10
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
22 Annual Graduates
$33,806 Median Starting Salary
$23,694 Median Student Debt

SLU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Saint Louis.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $33,806 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Saint Louis 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 228 878
Minnesota 215 630
Iowa 197 387
Kansas 184 440
Nebraska 180 410
North Dakota 149 193
South Dakota 148 95

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 Studies 1,808
Criminal Justice 923
Criminal Justice & Police Science 151
Corrections 91
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 63
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 29
Securities Services Administration/Management 28

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security 247
Security Science and Technology 117
Fire Protection 72

Notes and References

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