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2024 Best Criminology Schools in California

11 Colleges in California
1,459 Criminology Degrees Awarded
$37,821 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in criminology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #80 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Criminology Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,459 degrees in criminology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminology School

Best Criminology Schools in California The criminology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Criminology rankings. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Criminology Rankings by Degree Level

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

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

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.

10 Top California Schools in Criminology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
498 Criminology Degrees Awarded
6.8% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a degree in criminology. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 498 criminology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminology students who get their degree from University of California - Irvine make $4,927 more than the average criminology grad.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
404 Criminology Degrees Awarded
$30,453 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in criminology has to take a look at California State University - Fresno. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 74th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 404 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminology program report average early career earnings of $30,453.

More information about a degree in criminology from California State University - Fresno

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Criminology Degrees Awarded
$31,316 Median Starting Salary

California State University - San Marcos is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in criminology. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 75th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 266 criminology students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminology program report average early career wages of $31,316.

More information about a degree in criminology from California State University - San Marcos

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA
16.7% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat San Jose State University if you wish to pursue a degree in criminology. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Criminology Degrees Awarded
3.5% Growth in Graduates

ULV is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of La Verne. This university ranks 94th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 57 criminology students who graduated with this degree at ULV in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminology program state that they receive average early career income of $33,774.

More information about a degree in criminology from University of La Verne

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were about 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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$44,338 Median Starting Salary

Alliant is a small private for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. 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. Criminology degree recipients from Alliant International University receive an earnings boost of around $6,517 over the average income of criminology graduates.

More information about a degree in criminology from Alliant International University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
48 Criminology Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 65th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 48 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly Pomona in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Criminology Degrees Awarded
$30,569 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 126th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 49 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Humboldt State University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminology program report average early career wages of $30,569.

More information about a degree in criminology from Humboldt State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
38.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #259 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great university overall.

There were about 21 criminology students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminology from Azusa Pacific University

Best Criminology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Criminology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 289
Oregon 266 12
Nevada 192 175

View All Rankings >

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Criminology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Criminology 1,459

View All Criminology Concentrations >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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