2024 Best Criminology Schools in California
11
Colleges in California
1,459
Criminology Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in
criminology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #76 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for criminology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,459 degrees in criminology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Criminology School
Your choice of criminology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Criminology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
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
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 Criminology Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
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 Criminology in California
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 criminology degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Criminology
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
498
Criminology Degrees Awarded
University of California - Irvine is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in criminology. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools 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 data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from University of California - Irvine
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
404
Criminology Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat California State University - Fresno if you want to pursue a degree in criminology. Fresno State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Fresno. This university ranks 74th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 404 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from California State University - Fresno
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
266
Criminology Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in criminology needs to take a look at California State University - San Marcos. CSUSM is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of San Marcos. This university ranks 75th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 266 criminology students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from California State University - San Marcos
San Jose State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in criminology. San Jose State is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Jose. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 12 criminology students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminology from San Jose State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
57
Criminology Degrees Awarded
Located in the large suburb of La Verne, ULV is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 94th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 57 criminology students who graduated with this degree at ULV in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from University of La Verne
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
13th
Most Popular In CA
SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 7 criminology students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminology from San Diego State University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
14th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the large city of San Diego, Alliant is a private for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Alliant is a great university overall.
There were roughly 5 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Alliant in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from Alliant International University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In CA
48
Criminology Degrees Awarded
Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Pomona. This university ranks 65th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 48 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly Pomona in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
49
Criminology Degrees Awarded
Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Arcata. This university ranks 126th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 49 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Humboldt State University in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from Humboldt State University
Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Azusa. A Best Colleges rank of #259 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great university overall.
There were approximately 21 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminology from Azusa Pacific University
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