2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas

55 Colleges in Texas
9,252 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$35,440 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in criminal justice & corrections, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 55 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 9,252 degrees in criminal justice & corrections to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Corrections School

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas Your choice of criminal justice & corrections school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for criminal justice & corrections schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Criminal Justice & Corrections Degree Level

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in Texas ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Criminal Justice & Corrections in Texas

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Texas Schools in Criminal Justice

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
983 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$42,346 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to check out Sam Houston State University. Located in the town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #565 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SHSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 983 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at SHSU in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Sam Houston State University receive an earnings boost of around $6,906 over the typical earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Sam Houston State University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
28.0% Growth in Graduates

Texas Christian University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 93 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Criminal Justice & Corrections degree recipients from Texas Christian University receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,122 over the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections graduates.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Texas Christian University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
363 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$32,894 Median Starting Salary

Texas State University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #397 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 363 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,894.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Texas State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
633 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
14.1% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the midsize city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #458 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Rio Grande Valley is a great university overall.

There were about 633 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UT Rio Grande Valley in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, criminal justice degree recipients generally make around $30,182 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
382 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
15.2% Growth in Graduates

El Centro College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #362 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were about 382 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn about $31,932 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from El Centro College

6
Blinn College crest
Blinn College
Brenham, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$36,772 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Brenham, Blinn College is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 44th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 112 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Blinn College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career income of $36,772.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Blinn College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
359 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
0.3% Growth in Graduates

South Texas College is a very large public college located in the medium-sized city of McAllen. This college ranks 29th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 359 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, criminal justice degree recipients usually make around $34,888 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from South Texas College

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$55,876 Median Starting Salary

Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Plainview. A Best Colleges rank of #476 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wayland Baptist University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 85 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at Wayland Baptist University in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from Wayland Baptist University receive $20,436 more than the standard criminal justice student.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from Wayland Baptist University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
322 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
16.5% Growth in Graduates

UH Downtown is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Houston. This university ranks 45th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 322 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UH Downtown in the most recent year we have data available. Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their degree from University of Houston - Downtown receive $10,362 more than the typical criminal justice grad.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of Houston - Downtown

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
296 Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
$33,403 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #280 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNT is a great university overall.

There were roughly 296 criminal justice & corrections students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the criminal justice program report average early career wages of $33,403.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & corrections from University of North Texas

Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Southwest Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Arizona2873,321
Oklahoma257649
New Mexico219571

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice & Corrections is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Criminal Justice Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Criminal Justice Studies6,025
Criminal Justice & Police Science1,652
Criminal Justice1,334
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice108
Corrections41
Securities Services Administration/Management39
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General31
Juvenile Corrections22

View All Criminal Justice Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Fire Protection1,073
Homeland Security460
Security Science and Technology300
Other Homeland Security2

View All Criminal Justice Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options