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Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California

33 Colleges
$31,065 Avg Salary
$18,728 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree School for You

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 13,151 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 8th out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 33 schools in California to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Napa Valley College to be the best school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Napa Valley College is a small public school located in the small city of Napa.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Napa Valley College Report

#2

Moreno Valley College

Moreno Valley, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moreno Valley College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Moreno Valley College

#3

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Santa Rosa Junior College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Santa Rosa Junior College Report

#4

Golden West College

Huntington Beach, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Golden West College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California list. Golden West College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Golden West College

#5

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Santa Ana College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in California. SAC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Santa Ana.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from SAC carry an average student debtload of $7,407.

Read More…

#6

Southwestern College

Chula Vista, CA

With a ranking of #6, Southwestern College did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Chula Vista, SWC Chula Vista is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at SWC Chula Vista accumulate an average of around $8,168 in student debt.

Read More…

#7

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA

East Los Angeles College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, criminal justice graduates from East Los Angeles College take out $5,047 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at East Los Angeles College Report

#8

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

Riverside City College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Riverside.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Riverside City College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,208.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Riverside City College

#9

Platt College - Anaheim

Anaheim, CA

Platt College - Anaheim did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for criminal justice and corrections students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Platt College - Anaheim is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Anaheim.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Platt College - Anaheim carry an average student debtload of $17,725.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Platt College - Anaheim Report

#10

El Camino College

Torrance, CA

El Camino College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. El Camino College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Torrance.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Camino College

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 553
Oregon 477
Nevada 684
Hawaii 173
Alaska 73

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fire Protection 13,766
Homeland Security 7,140
Security Science and Technology 6,888
Other Homeland Security 1,695

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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