Associate’s Degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections
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Education Levels of Criminal Justice Majors
In 2018-2019, 30,792 associate's degrees were awarded to criminal justice majors. This makes it the 4th most popular associate's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in criminal justice at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 55,297 |
Associate’s Degree | 30,792 |
Basic Certificate | 21,156 |
Master’s Degree | 7,748 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 6,694 |
Graduate Certificate | 836 |
Doctor’s Degree | 218 |
Earnings of Criminal Justice Majors With Associate’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding an associate's degree in criminal justice is $25,400. However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years experience you have.
A better approximation of salary is to look at the typical range of salaries. In this case the low is $22,625 and the high is $30,200.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding an associate's degree in criminal justice is $19,222. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary.
The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $24,688 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $11,768.

Those students who are paying back their debt on a 10-year repayment plan have a median monthly payment of $199.
Student Diversity
More men than women pursue associate's degrees in criminal justice. About 50.4% of graduates in this field are male.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 15,525 |
Women | 15,267 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of criminal justice associate’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 803 |
Black or African American | 4,524 |
Hispanic or Latino | 10,417 |
White | 12,647 |
International Students | 193 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 2,208 |

Most Popular Criminal Justice Programs for Associate’s Degrees
There are 1,136 colleges that offer an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for criminal justice students seekingan associate's degree is Borough of Manhattan Community College. Each year, around 26,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 577 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from BMCC. About 59% of this group were women, and 89% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
University of Phoenix - Arizona is the 2nd most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Each year, around 95,700 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $9,552 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $16,752 per year.
The criminal justice program at University of Phoenix - Arizona awarded 495 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 42% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 56% were women.
South Texas College is the 3rd most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Each year, around 31,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The criminal justice program at South Texas College awarded 409 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 45% were women and 95% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 4th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Ivy Tech Community College. Each year, around 72,000 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 336 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from Ivy Tech Community College. Of these students, 57% were women and 20% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
East Los Angeles College is the 5th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 35,400 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 300 associate's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at East Los Angeles College. Of these students, 59% were women and 91% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
LaGuardia Community College is the 6th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Each year, around 19,300 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The criminal justice program at LaGuardia Community College awarded 294 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 55% were women and 91% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Kaplan University-Indianapolis is the 7th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Each year, around 1,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,920 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,791 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 262 associate's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at Kaplan University-Indianapolis. Of these students, 17% were women and 37% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Monroe College is the 8th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 6,300 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $14,760 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $15,624 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 254 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from Monroe College. Of these students, 61% were women and 94% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 9th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Kingsborough Community College. Roughly 15,000 attend the school each year. The criminal justice program at Kingsborough Community College awarded 253 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 77% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 52% were women.
Columbia Southern University is the 10th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 21,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,520 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $3,780 per year.
The criminal justice program at Columbia Southern University awarded 251 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 28% were women and 32% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Queensborough Community College comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in criminal justice. Each year, around 15,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The criminal justice program at Queensborough Community College awarded 248 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 48% were women and 89% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Suffolk County Community College comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in criminal justice. Roughly 26,000 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 241 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from Suffolk County Community College. About 31% of this group were women, and 37% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 13th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is El Paso Community College. Roughly 28,800 attend the school each year. The criminal justice program at El Paso Community College awarded 234 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 45% were women and 93% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Eastern Gateway Community College comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in criminal justice. Roughly 13,900 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 221 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from Eastern Gateway Community College. About 32% of this group were women, and 25% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 15th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Imperial Valley College. Each year, around 8,300 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 220 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from IVC. Of these students, 43% were women and 95% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 16th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Southern New Hampshire University. Roughly 104,000 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $30,756 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $18,810 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 191 associate's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at SNHU. Around 35% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 49% were women.
The 17th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is College of Southern Nevada. Roughly 34,100 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 188 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from CSN. Around 64% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 50% were women.
Bakersfield College is the 18th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 24,500 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 174 people received their associate's degree in criminal justice from Bakersfield College. Of these students, 52% were women and 86% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 19th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Bronx Community College. Each year, around 10,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 173 associate's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at BCC. Around 95% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 62% were women.
Nassau Community College comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in criminal justice. Each year, around 17,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 166 associate's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at Nassau Community College. Of these students, 37% were women and 57% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to criminal justice that offer associate’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Fire Protection | 4,306 |
Homeland Security | 402 |
Other Homeland Security | 148 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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