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Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

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2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

10 Colleges
$6,820 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,065 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 1,273 degrees and certificates were awarded to criminal justice and corrections students who went to a Missouri college or university. This makes it the #12 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 10 schools in Missouri to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for criminal justice students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

Check out the criminal justice associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools

#1

Jefferson College

Hillsboro, MO

Our 2023 rankings named Jefferson College the best value school in Missouri for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Hillsboro, JeffCo is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JeffCo are $6,030 per year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at JeffCo take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,858.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Jefferson College

#2

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO

Out of the 10 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Louis Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Saint Louis Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Louis Community College are $5,295 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Saint Louis Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,605.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Saint Louis Community College Report

#3

Mineral Area College

Park Hills, MO

Out of the 10 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Mineral Area College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Park Hills, MAC is a public college with a small student population.

MAC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,200 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Criminal Justice majors at MAC take out an average of $15,831 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#4

Park University

Parkville, MO

Out of the 10 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Park University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Park University are $8,853 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Park University carry an average student debtload of $14,502.

Park University also took the #4 spot in our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri rankings.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri Southern State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the small city of Joplin, Missouri Southern is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Missouri Southern are $7,762 a year. Criminal Justice majors at Missouri Southern take out an average of $29,715 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Missouri Southern State University Report

Missouri Western State University 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 #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Saint Joseph, Missouri Western is a public college with a small student population.

Missouri Western undergraduate students pay an average of $7,930 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Missouri Western State University

Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the large city of Kansas City, MCC is a public school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $6,840 per year.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City Report

#8

Columbia College

Columbia, MO

Columbia College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Columbia College Missouri undergraduate students pay an average of $11,636 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Criminal Justice majors at Columbia College Missouri take out an average of $29,669 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Columbia College Missouri did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Columbia College Report

#9

Three Rivers College

Poplar Bluff, MO

Three Rivers College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the remote town of Poplar Bluff, Three Rivers College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Three Rivers College are $6,510 a year.

Read More…

Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Drury University - CCPS is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Drury University - CCPS are $7,924 per year.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies Report

Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
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.

Majors Similar to Criminal Justice

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 10 schools only.

  • 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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