Criminal Justice Associate Degrees
A associate degree in Criminal Justice is offered at 653 colleges in the United States, where you can earn aassociate degree in Criminal Justice. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were women, and about72% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 0.6% of Criminal Justice graduates were international students.
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Education Levels of Criminal Justice Majors
During the most recent year for which data is available, 26,997 people earned theirCriminal Justice majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Criminal Justice at each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Certificate | 449 |
| Associate’s Degree (this page) | 8,605 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 12,382 |
| Master’s Degree | 5,154 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 85 |
Earnings of Criminal Justice Majors With Associate Degrees (All Award Levels)
The U.S. Department of Education reports a median salary for graduates with aassociate degree in Criminal Justice of $44,073 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.
However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years of experience you have.
| Years After Graduation | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $40,812 |
| 4 years | $44,073 |
| 5 years | $49,815 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).
Student Debt (All Award Levels)
We do not have the data to calculate the median and range of debt loads for Criminal Justice students with their associate degree.
Student Diversity
This degree is more popular with female students. About 58.1% of graduates with this degree are women.
| Gender | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Men | 3,608 |
| Women | 4,997 |
The racial-ethnic distribution of Criminal Justice graduates is as follows:
| Race / Ethnicity | Number of Grads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 2,344 | 27.2% |
| Asian | 318 | 3.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4,537 | 52.7% |
| Black or African American | 775 | 9.0% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 54 | 0.6% |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 61 | 0.7% |
| Two or More Races | 294 | 3.4% |
| Race Unknown | 169 | 2.0% |
| International Students | 53 | 0.6% |
This degree is not very popular with international students. Only 0.6% of graduates fall into this category.
See the minority definition in the References below.
Most Popular Criminal Justice Programs for Associate Degrees
There are 747 colleges that offer a associate degree in Criminal Justice. Learn more about the most popular below:
The most popular school in the United States for Criminal Justice students seeking a associate degree is CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. This school awarded 1,432 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of Phoenix-Arizona comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. During the most recent year for which we have data, 849 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. This school awarded 494 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Arizona State University Digital Immersion comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. During the most recent year for which we have data, 375 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Santa Rosa Junior College comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. This school awarded 367 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Utah Valley University comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. This school awarded 363 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Columbia Southern University comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. This school awarded 311 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
East Los Angeles College is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 303 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. This school awarded 300 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Arizona State University Campus Immersion comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. During the most recent year for which we have data, 277 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Michigan State University is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 263 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate degrees in Criminal Justice. This school awarded 253 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of New Haven is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. This school awarded 249 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
University of Louisville is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. This school awarded 239 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
University of South Carolina-Columbia is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 233 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
NUC University is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. This school awarded 216 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Walden University is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. This school awarded 216 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Kean University is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 203 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
Western Illinois University is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. This school awarded 201 associate degrees in Criminal Justice in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their associate degree in Criminal Justice here go on to a median salary of $40,669.
Virginia Commonwealth University is a popular choice for Criminal Justice majors seeking their associate degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 199 people received their associate degree in Criminal Justice from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors similar to Criminal Justice that also offer associate degrees.
| Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | 41,895 |
| Criminal Justice/Police Science | 20,474 |
| Corrections | 4,967 |
| Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other | 4,327 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 2,175 |
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 to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
More about our data sources and methodologies.