2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region
Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You
In 2020-2021, 113,121 criminal justice and corrections students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #7 most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 99 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for criminal justice majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Wayland Baptist University the best school in the Southwest Region for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the town of Plainview, Wayland Baptist University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from Wayland Baptist University carry an average student debtload of $18,391.
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Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the # 2 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman.
While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at University of Oklahoma accumulate an average of around $28,623 in student debt.
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Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A & M University - Central Texas landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Killeen, Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a public school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Texas A & M University - Central Texas take out is $23,288.
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The excellent programs at Texas Christian University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best criminal justice and corrections schools in the Southwest Region . TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Worth.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from TCU carry an average student debtload of $25,387.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Sam Houston State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Criminal Justice majors at SHSU take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $162.
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South Texas College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminal justice and corrections programs. South Texas College is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of McAllen.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from South Texas College carry an average student debtload of $6,750.
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With a ranking of #7, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at ASU - Skysong accumulate an average of around $22,196 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $329, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of North Texas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #8 on the list. UNT is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Denton.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from UNT carry an average student debtload of $20,750. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $215.
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University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminal justice and corrections programs. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Tempe.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from UOPX - Arizona carry an average student debtload of $35,851. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $182.
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El Centro College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.
On average, criminal justice graduates from El Centro College take out $13,692 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Rio Salado College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #11 on the list. Rio Salado College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from Rio Salado College carry an average student debtload of $9,131.
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University of Houston - Downtown did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the city of Houston, UH Downtown is a public college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from UH Downtown carry an average student debtload of $29,750.
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With a ranking of #13, Lone Star College System did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at North Harris Montgomery take out is $13,176.
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Tarleton State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the remote town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public college with a large student population.
Criminal Justice majors at Tarleton take out an average of $24,250 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $152, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ |
| 16 | Our Lady of the Lake University | San Antonio, TX |
| 17 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX |
| 18 | Amarillo College | Amarillo, TX |
| 19 | Angelo State University | San Angelo, TX |
Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State
Explore the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 7,644 |
| Arizona | 3,363 |
| Oklahoma | 655 |
| New Mexico | 571 |
More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings in the Southwest Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Criminal Justice
One of 4 majors within the area of study, criminal justice and corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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