2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Criminology is the 82nd most popular major in the country with 10,182 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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” 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology 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 that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #1 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Irvine Criminology Report

#2

California State University - Fresno

Fresno, California

#3 in overall quality

$17,581 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminology students 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 Fresno State are $17,581, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Fresno State Criminology Report

#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$39,009 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Criminology Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s criminology degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Criminology at SDSU

#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. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s criminology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Criminology Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State University are $18,790, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full San Jose State University Criminology Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Criminology

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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