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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Virginia

19 Colleges in Virginia
3,262 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,941 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.

College Factual looked at 19 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,262 degrees in criminal justice & corrections to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Virginia 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
Doctor'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 Virginia. 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 Virginia

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 Virginia Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
399 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$48,191 Median Starting Salary

George Mason University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 399 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from George Mason University earn $13,250 more than the typical criminal justice graduate.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
193 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$39,617 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections needs to take a look at Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #240 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 193 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Virginia Commonwealth University make $4,675 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,235 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Liberty University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg. A Best Colleges rank of #352 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Liberty University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1235 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Liberty University earn a boost of approximately $10,543 above the average income of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
220 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
43.6% Growth in Graduates

Northern Virginia Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Northern Virginia Community College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Annandale. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 220 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $34,656 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Northern Virginia Community College

5
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$44,543 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Marymount is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Arlington. A Best Colleges rank of #574 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Marymount is a great university overall.

There were roughly 22 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Marymount in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Marymount University receive $9,602 more than the typical criminal justice student.

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

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
114 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,468 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #936 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Radford is a great university overall.

There were about 114 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Radford in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally earn about $34,468 at the beginning of their careers.

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

7
AU crest
Averett University
Danville, VA

Located in the town of Danville, AU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 42nd out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 28 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at AU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Averett University get $2,856 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

8
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, VA

Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #1015 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Roanoke is a great college overall.

There were about 17 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Roanoke in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $35,311.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Roanoke College

9
ECPI University crest
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,404 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #322 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ECPI University is a great university overall.

There were about 81 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ECPI University in the most recent data year. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients usually earn around $33,404 in their early careers.

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

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA

Located in the city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #302 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Shenandoah is a great university overall.

There were approximately 21 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Shenandoah in the most recent data year. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients usually make about $32,138 in the first five years of their career.

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

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
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 1,801
Criminal Justice 1,038
Criminal Justice & Police Science 391
Corrections 17
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 12
Securities Services Administration/Management 3

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Security Science and Technology 369
Homeland Security 124
Other Homeland Security 112
Fire Protection 54

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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