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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in North Carolina

37 Colleges in North Carolina
4,511 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$31,855 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #7 in popularity, criminal justice & corrections is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 37 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,511 degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in North Carolina The criminal justice program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections rankings. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice
Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice

The criminal justice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in North Carolina. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in North Carolina

The schools below may not offer all types of criminal justice degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
12.0% Growth in Graduates

University of North Carolina at Charlotte is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were approximately 266 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte make $2,718 more than the standard criminal justice grad.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

East Carolina University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were about 241 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually make about $30,403 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from East Carolina University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
128 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
0.8% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Appalachian State University if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the distant town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 128 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $30,352.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Appalachian State University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
4.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Western Carolina University. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #859 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 157 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Western Carolina University make $3,299 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Western Carolina University

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
39.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #931 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Central Piedmont Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 77 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Central Piedmont Community College get $2,860 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Central Piedmont Community College

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
16.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 54th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 159 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNC Pembroke in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Pembroke make $2,028 more than the average criminal justice graduate.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of North Carolina at Pembroke

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$30,518 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Rocky Mount, North Carolina Wesleyan College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 42nd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 86 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at North Carolina Wesleyan College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn an average of $30,518 for their early career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from North Carolina Wesleyan College

8
Methodist crest
Methodist University
Fayetteville, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,117 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Methodist is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Fayetteville. This university ranks 32nd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 17 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Methodist in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $28,117 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Methodist University

9
Pfeiffer University crest
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC

Located in the rural area of Misenheimer, Pfeiffer University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 40th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 21 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Pfeiffer University in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Pfeiffer University earn a boost of about $15,746 over the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Pfeiffer University

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$30,449 Median Starting Salary

Forsyth Tech is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #1077 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Forsyth Tech is a great college overall.

There were approximately 78 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Forsyth Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $30,449 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Forsyth Technical Community College

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 2,157
Florida 282 4,836
Virginia 274 2,889
Tennessee 269 1,212
South Carolina 248 993
Kentucky 244 960
Louisiana 242 972
Mississippi 234 581
Arkansas 234 641
Alabama 233 1,413
West Virginia 207 1,291

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies 3,482
Criminal Justice & Police Science 693
Criminal Justice 335
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 1

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 419
Security Science and Technology 272
Homeland Security 208
Other Homeland Security 8

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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