Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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

Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 118 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Criminal Justice & Corrections program at each school on the list.

Check out the criminal justice associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Southwest Region .

Our 2023 rankings named University of Phoenix - Arizona the most popular school in the Southwest Region for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. UOPX - Arizona is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Tempe.

Women make up 67% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

On average, criminal justice graduates from UOPX - Arizona take out $25,292 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $193.

Read More…

#2

South Texas College

McAllen, TX

The in-demand associate degree programs at South Texas College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular criminal justice and corrections schools in the Southwest Region . South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of McAllen.

Women make up 55% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

Criminal Justice majors at South Texas College take out an average of $6,825 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at South Texas College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend El Paso Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Paso Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of El Paso.

Of the 272 students majoring in criminal justice at El Paso Community College, 50% are male and 50% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from El Paso Community College carry an average student debt load of $9,028.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at El Paso Community College Report

#4

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend El Centro College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the city of Dallas.

About 63% of the students majoring in criminal justice at the school are women while 37% are male.

The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at El Centro College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,446.

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

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means American InterContinental University - Online is a great place for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. AIU Online is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the rural area of Schaumburg.

Women make up 79% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

Criminal Justice majors at AIU Online take out an average of $30,974 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#6

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

Lone Star College System came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 64% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from North Harris Montgomery carry an average student debt load of $16,521.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lone Star College System Report

Austin Community College District ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

Of the 102 students majoring in criminal justice at Austin Community College District, 44% are male and 56% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, criminal justice majors at Austin Community College District accumulate an average of around $16,754 in student debt.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Austin Community College District

#9

Central Texas College

Killeen, TX

Central Texas College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Killeen, Central Texas College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

About 41% of the students majoring in criminal justice at the school are women while 59% are male.

On average, criminal justice graduates from Central Texas College take out $9,848 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Central Texas College Report

With a ranking of #10, Arizona Western College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. AWC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Yuma.

Women make up 61% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Arizona Western College Report

#11

Rio Salado College

Tempe, AZ

Rio Salado College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for criminal justice and corrections students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Rio Salado College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.

Women make up 26% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

Read More…

#12

Blinn College

Brenham, TX

Blinn College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the distant town of Brenham, Blinn College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 49% of the students majoring in criminal justice at the school are women while 51% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Blinn College carry an average student debt load of $18,425.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Blinn College Report

#13

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

Del Mar College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree criminal justice and corrections programs. Located in the city of Corpus Christi, DMC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 54% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from DMC carry an average student debt load of $7,193.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Del Mar College Report

McLennan Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Waco, MCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 71% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

On average, criminal justice graduates from MCC take out $19,686 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at McLennan Community College

With a ranking of #15, Collin County Community College District did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for criminal justice and corrections students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 45% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

On average, criminal justice graduates from Collin County Community College District take out $12,382 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#15

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

Amarillo College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 64 students majoring in criminal justice at Amarillo College, 44% are male and 56% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debt load of $20,507.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Amarillo College Report

New Mexico State University - Dona Ana came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Las Cruces, NMSU Dona Ana is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 57% of the criminal justice majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, criminal justice graduates from NMSU Dona Ana carry an average student debt load of $10,377.

Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at New Mexico State University - Dona Ana Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
18 Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX
19 South Plains College Levelland, TX
20 Odessa College Odessa, TX
21 Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, OK
22 Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX
23 Cochise County Community College District Sierra Vista, AZ

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice and corrections schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 7,644
Arizona 3,363
Oklahoma 655
New Mexico 571

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.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.