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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Tennessee

18 Colleges in Tennessee
1,564 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$31,692 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 18 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Tennessee ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,564 degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Tennessee Your choice of criminal justice & corrections school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice & corrections schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Criminal Justice & Corrections Degree Level

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

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 Schools in Tennessee list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Tennessee

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Tennessee Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Bethel crest
Bethel University
McKenzie, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$47,853 Median Starting Salary

Bethel University is a good option for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Bethel is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of McKenzie. A Best Colleges rank of #1180 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bethel is a great university overall.

There were approximately 198 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Bethel in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Bethel University receive $16,160 more than the typical criminal justice graduate.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,407 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Middle Tennessee State University if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro. A Best Colleges rank of #866 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Middle Tennessee State University is a great university overall.

There were about 125 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients usually make an average of $33,407 in their early careers.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$31,715 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Memphis if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. UofM is a fairly large public university located in the city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #748 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were roughly 113 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn an average of $31,715 in their early career salary.

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

4
King crest
King University
Bristol, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,753 Median Starting Salary
$23,162 Median Student Debt

King University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. King is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bristol. A Best Colleges rank of #1210 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means King is a great university overall.

There were roughly 20 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at King in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn an average of $32,753 for their early career.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$28,951 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #957 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Chattanooga is a great university overall.

There were roughly 99 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $28,951.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
14.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 96 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $27,582.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,267 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Lebanon, CU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 27 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at CU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally make around $31,267 in the first five years of their career.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$30,977 Median Starting Salary

Tennessee State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #1425 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Tennessee State University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically make about $30,977 in their early careers.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
27.1% Growth in Graduates

UT Martin is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Martin. This university ranks 31st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 48 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UT Martin in the most recent data year. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients typically make an average of $29,423 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Tennessee - Martin

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
16.2% Growth in Graduates

WSCC is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Morristown. This college ranks 44th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 241 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at WSCC in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Walters State Community College receive an earnings boost of about $8,495 above the typical income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Walters State Community College

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 2,157
Florida 282 4,836
North Carolina 279 2,701
Virginia 274 2,889
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 >

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 811
Criminal Justice & Police Science 413
Criminal Justice Studies 322
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 11
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 4
Protective Services Operations 3

View All Criminal Justice Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 74
Homeland Security 52
Security Science and Technology 22

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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