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Top Schools for Criminal Justice in the USA

Criminology programs combine principles of sociology, law, and psychology to prepare students to deal with criminals, understand the justice system and work to prevent crime. The major in Criminal Justice can lead to a wide variety of career opportunities.

Take the first step toward earning a bachelor’s in criminal justice. Here, you will find information and resources of the best criminal justice schools and associated degrees.

We have gathered top-ranked school reviews of criminal justice programs across the United States. Students interested in careers in criminal justice can check out the following high-quality schools & choose the best one. Good luck!!!

University of Maryland College Park

Are you considering applying to the University of Maryland and majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice? The University of Maryland, College Park’s (UMD) Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJS) is a national and international leader in research and criminal justice education. The Department has one of the top graduate programs in the nation according to the US News and World Report. Their department consists of 18 faculty, 13 adjunct faculties (lecturers), 58 graduate students, and 8 staff members including research staff.

Founded: 1969
Ranking: 1st
Tuition & Fees:  Resident: $25,742 and Non-Resident: $47,606
Adm. Office Contact: +1 301-405-4699, ccjs-admin-at-umd.edu, Fax: 301-405-4733
Website: https://ccjs.umd.edu

University at Albany, SUNY School of Criminal Justice

The School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany is concerned with the study of all aspects of crime and societal reactions to crime. They examine political, economic and cultural patterns that shape definitions of crime and influence the policy choices about how to respond to certain criminal and deviant behaviors. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in criminal justice. It also offers both a Masters of Arts and a Doctorate in Criminal Justice, as well as an exceptional undergraduate program. At the school, the criminal justice internship program is designed to give criminal justice majors in their senior year exposure to a vast array of criminal justice opportunities.

Founded:  1968
Ranking: 2nd
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: Resident: $25,110 and Non-Resident: $40,190
Adm. Office Contact: (518) 442-3300
Website: https://www.albany.edu/scj/

Top Schools for Criminal Justice in the USA

University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice

The School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati has one of the top graduate programs in the country according to the US News and World Report.  The top-ranked School of Criminal Justice offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Degrees. Students can pursue a BS, and MS (with a fully-online option), and a Ph.D. The school holds three nationally-renowned centers for research supporting the Criminal Justice field. With Bachelor Degrees in Criminal Justice and Paralegal Studies, as well as Minors and Certificates, they are dedicated to providing the knowledge to be a successful professional in the Criminal Justice field. They are also offering a Master’s Degree both online and on-campus, as well as a Ph.D. program ranked 3rd in the nation, our Graduate degrees will prepare you to make a difference in the exciting field of Criminal Justice.

Founded: 1819
Ranking: 3rd
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: $11,000
Adm. Office Contact: +1 888-325-2669
Website: http://cech.uc.edu

Pennsylvania State University Department of Sociology and Criminology

Penn State Criminology is one of the nation’s top programs in this area. The undergraduate program promotes an understanding of crime and the criminal justice system and how they are related to human behavior, social environments, and government policy.  The graduate program provides training, in theory, methods, statistics, and substantive issues related to criminology, and all students received extensive mentoring from department faculty. In the department, they currently have approximately 650 undergraduate majors and over 70 graduate students in sociology and criminology.

Founded: 1855
Ranking: 4th
Tuition & Fees Apporximately:  $13,516
Adm. Office Contact: +1 814-865-2527
Website: http://sociology.la.psu.edu

Top Schools for Criminal Justice in the USA

The University of Missouri St. Louis

The mission of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) is to offer excellent teaching at the Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral levels, and to provide service to the campus, profession, and community. UMSL CCJ Department ranked #5 in the Nation according to the 2018 rankings by U.S. News and World Report. The cost of tuition and fees at UMSL is lowered dramatically for students living in Missouri. There are a number of reasons to study criminology at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, including small criminology and criminal justice classes, a rich and relevant curriculum, internship opportunities, online course offerings and strong preparation for a variety of fields.

Founded:  1963
Ranking: 5th
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: $10,065
Adm. Office Contact: (314) 516-5031
Website: https://www.umsl.edu/ccj/

University of California Irvine School of Social Ecology- Department of Criminology, Law and Society

At the School of Social Ecology, CLS promotes inclusive excellence in teaching, research and professional service at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and junior faculty stages of an academic career in criminology, and law and society. At the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society, the course of study provides excellent preparation for law school and for graduate study in sociology, criminology, and criminal justice. The Department of CLS at the University of California-Irvine offers a Bachelor of Arts, a Master’s of Advanced Study, and a Ph.D. in Criminology, Law, and Society. The department is consistently ranked 5th (US News and World Reports Chronicle of Higher Education) in the nation among doctoral degree-granting programs in criminology and criminal justice.

Founded:  1970
Ranking: 5th Tie
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: In-state: $15,516 and Out-of-state: $43,530
Adm. Office Contact: 92697-7080
Website: https://cls.soceco.uci.edu/pages/criminology-law-and-society

Top Schools for Criminal Justice in the USA

Florida State University College of Criminology & Criminal Justice

The FSU College of Criminology and Criminal Justice is one of sixteen colleges comprising the Florida State University (FSU), offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. At Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, their top priority is to turn out graduates who possess critical, independent thinking skills. The FSU criminology program is known for its ground-breaking research, challenging coursework, and inspiring the intellectual community. The College empowers students to explore their interests, express their ideas, and experience the pride of uncovering new knowledge.

Founded: 1974
Ranking: 7th
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: In-state: $22,575 and Out-of-state: $37,019
Adm. Office Contact: 850-644-4050
Website: http://criminology.fsu.edu

Michigan State University

Michigan State University has the School of Criminal Justice, which is the oldest program of its kind in the United States. It combines a legacy of leadership in criminal justice with cutting-edge research and education programs addressing the most pressing problems facing society. The School offers a number of degree programs, including the BA, MS, and PhD in Criminal Justice and the MS in Forensic Science on our beautiful campus in East Lansing, and the MS in Criminal Justice, MS in Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis (LEIA), and MS in Judicial Administration (JA) in an online format. In addition, the School offers a number of Certificate programs that students may earn either independently or while on the pathway towards a degree.

Founded: 1935
Ranking: 8th
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: In-state: $27,290 and Out-of-state: $51,118
Adm. Office Contact: (517) 355-2197
Website: http://cj.msu.edu

Top Schools for Criminal Justice in the USA

Rutgers University

At the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, the criminal justice major offers students focused interdisciplinary exposure to all aspects of crime and criminal justice. Its purposes have always been to  (1) produce scholarship of the highest quality on crime and justice (2) provide state and local justice agencies with crucial evidence and consultation about the policy and practice of criminal justice, and (3) produce graduates who take their places as productive and respected scholars in the field. Rutgers School of Criminal Justice offers both Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees in Criminal Justice. The Master of Arts program in criminal justice prepares students for positions of leadership and responsibility in government organizations and/or non-profits dealing with issues of crime, justice, and law enforcement. It also provides advanced training in social science research and methods.

Founded: 1974
Ranking: 9th
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: In-state: $27,351 and Out-of-state: $43,292
Adm. Office Contact: 973-353-5870, rscj@newark.rutgers.edu
Website: https://rscj.newark.rutgers.edu

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The college is known for its criminal justice, forensic science, forensic psychology, and public affairs programs. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1, and the average freshman retention rate is 78%. The college offers a variety of in-person, online, and hybrid courses. It had a 37% admission rate in its most recent undergraduate admissions cycle.

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice has two dozen undergraduate degree programs such as the BS in Forensic Science or the BA in Culture and Deviance Studies, as well as ten graduate programs including International Crime and Justice, Forensic Psychology, and Criminal Justice. The college also offers a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and a Ph.D. in Psychology.

Founded: 1965
Ranking: 10th
Tuition & Fees Apporximately: In-state: $6,810 and Out-of-state: $13,920
Adm. Office Contact: +1 212-237-8000
Website: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu

Indu Singh

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