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2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region

79 Colleges in the Plains States Region
6,080 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$39,141 Avg Early-Career Salary
Criminal Justice & Corrections is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #7 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 79 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & corrections. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,080 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 the Plains States Region 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. We derive our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Corrections School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

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 Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in the Plains States Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the criminal justice degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

13 Top Plains States Region Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
18.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Minnesota State University - Mankato if you wish to pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #351 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were about 105 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Minnesota State University - Mankato get an earnings boost of about $2,403 over the average income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Minnesota State University - Mankato

2
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
21.2% Growth in Graduates

Century College is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Century College is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake. A Best Colleges rank of #460 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 99 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $37,538.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
280 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
21.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Nebraska at Omaha is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Omaha. A Best Colleges rank of #468 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNOMAHA is a great university overall.

There were about 280 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNOMAHA in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from University of Nebraska at Omaha get an earnings boost of around $4,618 over the typical income of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Nebraska at Omaha

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
22.6% Growth in Graduates

North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #242 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means North Dakota State University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 62 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from North Dakota State University - Main Campus make $2,847 more than the average criminal justice grad.

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

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
128 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$45,652 Median Starting Salary

ATCC is a small public college located in the remote town of Alexandria. This college ranks 43rd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 128 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at ATCC in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Alexandria Technical & Community College get an earnings boost of approximately $6,511 over the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

6

UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.

There were roughly 10 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the criminal justice & corrections degree program at University of St Thomas Minnesota make $44,954 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of St Thomas Minnesota

6
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA

Located in the town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 14th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 23 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Simpson College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make about $40,370 in their early career salary.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$42,056 Median Starting Salary

Metro State is a moderately-sized public university located in the large city of Saint Paul. This university ranks 22nd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 141 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Metro State in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Metropolitan State University earn $2,915 more than the average criminal justice graduate.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
5.9% Growth in Graduates

Iowa State is a very large public university located in the city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 135 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State 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 $36,457.

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

9
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
179 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
1.7% Growth in Graduates

Park University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Parkville. A Best Colleges rank of #327 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Park University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 179 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $39,411.

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

10
SC crest
Southwestern College
Winfield, KS
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
23.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Winfield, SC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 10th out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 55 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SC in the most recent data year. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Southwestern College get an earnings boost of approximately $11,142 over the typical income of criminal justice & corrections majors.

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

11
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,806 Median Starting Salary
$26,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #244 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 26 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career earnings of $33,806.

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

12
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
260 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
1.9% Growth in Graduates

Walden University is a very large private for-profit university located in the city of Minneapolis.

There were roughly 260 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Walden University in the most recent data year. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Walden University make $7,654 more than the typical criminal justice graduate.

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

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
12 Bellevue University Bellevue, NE
13 Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Cloquet, MN
14 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
15 Waldorf University Forest City, IA
16 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
17 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
18 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
19 Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO

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
Minnesota 284 1,523
Missouri 283 1,221
Kansas 266 583
Iowa 264 627
Nebraska 238 608
North Dakota 210 225
South Dakota 204 154

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 2,506
Criminal Justice & Police Science 1,628
Criminal Justice 1,617
Corrections 126
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 63
Securities Services Administration/Management 55
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 30
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 30
Corrections Administration 13
Juvenile Corrections 12

View All Criminal Justice Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security 869
Fire Protection 440
Security Science and Technology 254
Other Homeland Security 111

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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