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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas

55 Colleges in Texas
9,267 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,832 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.

College Factual looked at 55 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,267 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 Texas 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
Doctor's Degrees in Criminal Justice

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Texas

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 Texas Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,031 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & corrections has to take a look at Sam Houston State University. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #565 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SHSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1031 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SHSU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Sam Houston State University make $7,514 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$38,562 Median Starting Salary

Texas Christian University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 67 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections program at Texas Christian University earn $3,730 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

3
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
365 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

Texas State University is a good option for students interested in a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #397 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were about 365 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $32,894.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
544 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
19.9% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the medium-sized city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #458 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Rio Grande Valley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 544 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UT Rio Grande Valley in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, criminal justice degree recipients typically earn about $30,182 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

5
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
324 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$31,932 Median Starting Salary

El Centro College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #362 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were about 324 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $31,932 in the first couple years of their career.

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

6
Blinn College crest
Blinn College
Brenham, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
43.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Brenham, Blinn College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 44th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 121 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Blinn College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $36,772.

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

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
358 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$34,888 Median Starting Salary

South Texas College is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of McAllen. This college ranks 29th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 358 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, criminal justice degree recipients generally make around $34,888 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$55,876 Median Starting Salary

Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Plainview. A Best Colleges rank of #476 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Wayland Baptist University is a great university overall.

There were about 104 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Wayland Baptist University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at Wayland Baptist University get $21,044 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
269 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$45,802 Median Starting Salary

UH Downtown is a large public university located in the large city of Houston. This university ranks 45th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 269 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UH Downtown in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at University of Houston - Downtown make $10,970 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Houston - Downtown

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
296 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
6.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #280 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNT is a great university overall.

There were approximately 296 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $33,403.

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

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southwest Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 287 3,321
Oklahoma 257 649
New Mexico 219 571

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 5,934
Criminal Justice & Police Science 1,807
Criminal Justice 1,236
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 106
Corrections 63
Securities Services Administration/Management 50
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 41
Juvenile Corrections 30

View All Criminal Justice Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 1,074
Security Science and Technology 354
Homeland Security 305
Other Homeland Security 2

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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