by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 11,039 people earned their degree in criminology, making the major the 80th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, criminology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,568 and had an average of $24,453 in loans still to pay off.
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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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.
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. 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 colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree criminology students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major. IUP is a public institution located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Dallas. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 16 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 2 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Criminology Report
Washington State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Pullman, Washington, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking. UofSC is a public institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Delaware ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
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. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Criminology at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of Florida ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major ranking, coming in at #13. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s criminology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read full report on Criminology at University of South Florida - Main Campus
With a ranking of #14, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 46 doctorate’s criminology degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Grambling State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Located in Grambling, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 0 degrees to qualified doctorate’s criminology students in 2020-2021.
Mississippi State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Criminology Major list. Mississippi State is a public institution located in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
