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2024 Best Criminology Schools

138 Colleges in the United States
11,039 Criminology Degrees Awarded
Ranked #76 in popularity, criminology is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 138 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Criminology Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,039 degrees in criminology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Criminology School

Best Criminology Schools Your choice of criminology 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 criminology 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 Criminology Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Criminology
Bachelor's Degrees in Criminology
Master's Degrees in Criminology
Doctor's Degrees in Criminology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminology Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Criminology in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of criminology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

20 Top Schools in Criminology

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In PA
46 Criminology Degrees Awarded

University of Pennsylvania is a good option for students pursuing a degree in criminology. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 46 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MD
346 Criminology Degrees Awarded

University of Maryland - College Park is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in criminology. UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMCP is a great university overall.

There were approximately 346 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Maryland - College Park

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
498 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in criminology needs to take a look at University of California - Irvine. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 498 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of California - Irvine

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In FL
179 Criminology Degrees Awarded

University of Florida is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in criminology. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 179 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Florida

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DE
138 Criminology Degrees Awarded

UD is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Newark. A Best Colleges rank of #118 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UD is a great university overall.

There were about 138 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Delaware

6
Lasell crest
Lasell University
Newton, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
96 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Lasell is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Newton. This university ranks 31st out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 96 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Lasell in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from Lasell University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MN
151 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 151 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

8
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA
97 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 97 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Iowa

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In FL
442 Criminology Degrees Awarded

USF Tampa is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tampa. This university ranks 8th out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 442 criminology students who graduated with this degree at USF Tampa in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of South Florida - Main Campus

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
147 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 147 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NH
68 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the small suburb of Durham, UNH is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 17 schools for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were approximately 68 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UNH in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

12
St. Anselm College crest
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NH
51 Criminology Degrees Awarded

St. Anselm College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Manchester. This college ranks 4th out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were roughly 51 criminology students who graduated with this degree at St. Anselm College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from Saint Anselm College

13
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In PA
140 Criminology Degrees Awarded

St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. This university ranks 12th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 140 criminology students who graduated with this degree at St. Joe's in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from Saint Joseph’s University

14
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
78 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #130 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Marquette is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from Marquette University

15
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In FL
63 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were roughly 63 criminology students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Miami

16
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AZ
284 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were approximately 284 criminology students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from Northern Arizona University

17
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AL
269 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #139 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UA is a great university overall.

There were about 269 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from The University of Alabama

18
Stonehill crest
Stonehill College
Easton, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MA
44 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Easton, Stonehill is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 28th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 44 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Stonehill in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from Stonehill College

19
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MN
46 Criminology Degrees Awarded

UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Duluth. This university ranks 9th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 46 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of Minnesota - Duluth

20
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WA

Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 28 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminology from Gonzaga University

Rest of the Top Best Criminology Schools

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Criminology Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
27 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
21 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
22 John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY
23 Washington State University Pullman, WA
24 University of Denver Denver, CO
25 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA

Criminology by Region

View the Best Criminology Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the Criminology area of study, Criminology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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