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Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region

95 Colleges
$39,141 Avg Salary
$29,816 Avg Student Debt

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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 95 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for criminal justice majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

Our analysis found Herzing University - Minneapolis to be the best school for criminal justice and corrections students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Herzing University - Minneapolis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Minneapolis.

Criminal Justice majors at Herzing University - Minneapolis take out an average of $25,971 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Herzing University - Minneapolis Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is a great place for criminal justice and corrections students. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winona.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at SMU MN take out is $26,225.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of St Thomas Minnesota. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region list. UST MN is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of St Thomas Minnesota Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Christian College of Kansas. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of McPherson, Central Christian College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at Central Christian College accumulate an average of around $31,445 in student debt.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Central Christian College of Kansas

#5

Southwestern College

Winfield, KS

Out of the 95 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern College landed the # 5 spot on the list. SC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winfield.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at SC take out is $22,849.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southwestern College Report

#6

Waldorf University

Forest City, IA

Waldorf University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the remote town of Forest City, Waldorf is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Criminal Justice majors at Waldorf take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Waldorf University Report

Bemidji State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, criminal justice majors at Bemidji State University accumulate an average of around $22,769 in student debt.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Bemidji State University Report

With a ranking of #8, Alexandria Technical & Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from ATCC carry an average student debtload of $15,750.

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With a ranking of #9, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for criminal justice and corrections students. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the city of Fargo.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at North Dakota State University take out is $22,749.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report

Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #10 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, criminal justice graduates from Minnesota State Mankato carry an average student debtload of $25,834.

Read More…

#11

Loras College

Dubuque, IA

Loras 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. Loras is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dubuque.

Criminal Justice majors at Loras take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Loras College Report

#12

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

Simpson College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best criminal justice and corrections programs. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Indianola.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Simpson College take out is $27,000.

Read More…

#13

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota ranked #13 on this year’s Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Criminal Justice majors at UND take out an average of $25,625 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#14

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO

Saint Louis University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.

Criminal Justice majors at SLU take out an average of $26,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Saint Louis University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
15 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
16 Wayne State College Wayne, NE
17 Winona State University Winona, MN
18 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
19 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 1,273
Minnesota 1,525
Kansas 586
Iowa 627
Nebraska 608
North Dakota 225
South Dakota 154

One of 4 majors within the area of study, criminal justice and corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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