2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 10,182 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 82nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,583 and had an average of $24,397 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,416 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,967 and $21,881 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 71 criminology graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in criminology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great criminology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the criminology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminology Schools

The criminology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

University of California - Irvine

Irvine, California

#1 in overall quality

$28,456 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$60,325 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456.

Read full report on Criminology at University of California - Irvine

#2

California State University - Fresno

Fresno, California

#3 in overall quality

$17,581 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Criminology at California State University - Fresno

#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$39,009 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s criminology degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Criminology at San Diego State University

#4

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

#4 in overall quality

$18,790 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790.

Read more about Criminology at San Jose State University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology (Income $30-$48k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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