by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 76th most popular in the United States.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 56 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. That schools that top this list have a program in criminology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - St Louis. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major. UMSL is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 3 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Criminology at University of Missouri - St Louis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 9 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Dallas. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
Washington State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Criminology at Washington State University
University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #7. UofSC is a large public school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 4 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Old Dominion University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Old Dominion University is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #9. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s criminology degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Delaware did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #10. University of Delaware is located in Newark, Delaware and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 5 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #12. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s criminology degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 3 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Mississippi State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #14. Mississippi State University is a large school located in Mississippi State, Mississippi that handed out 70 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Criminology at Mississippi State University
With a ranking of #14, Grambling State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Grambling State University is a public institution located in Grambling, Louisiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Pennsylvania landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 46 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
