### SUMMARY

 A degree in Criminology is not only a valuable choice, but commonly a mandatory first step for scholars wishing to pursue a career as a criminal investigator, a detective, or an investigator. Interestingly, criminology is fairly common ranking as the 60th most popular degree. Last academic year alone, there were 8,478 criminology diplomas received. In-state tuition for criminology at private universities is, on average, 3.5 times more pricey than their public rivals.

 There are 194 colleges which offer criminology. 194 universities is on par with other degrees offered in the United States. If you are looking to surround yourself with other criminology majors, look at universities in California which have the most undergraduates admitted to criminology annually. Zooming out, the best region to get a degree in criminology is in the Southeast region with [University of Florida](/colleges/university-of-florida), [University of South Florida-Main Campus](/colleges/university-of-south-florida-main-campus), and [Old Dominion University](/colleges/old-dominion-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection of the top conference to major in criminology is the Big Ten Conference with [University of Maryland-College Park](/colleges/university-of-maryland-college-park), [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities), and [Ohio State University-Main Campus](/colleges/ohio-state-university-main-campus) representing the conference. From our comprehensive list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our selection for the best college for criminology is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania).

 The objectively best school might not actually be the 'best' school for you. There are lots more angels to consider when selecting ​university. Things like campus amenities, transportation services, and food might affect your thoughts of where to go to university. At authority.org, we have weighed the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are interested in which criminology college is home to the best college campus, the answer is [University of Maryland-College Park](/colleges/university-of-maryland-college-park). If, for example, you are mostly interested in which school has the finest campus, we have a whole page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through professor reviews, student reviews, government databases, and more in order to compare every major in the United States in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can explore our comprehensive list for the universities with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand from that list, our choice for the university with the best student life for criminology is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). Are you curious why? Continue scrolling to find out more about Authority's top recommendations. Many of our picks just might shock you.

 If cost is a significant deciding factor in your decisions, you might be cautious about [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania)&nbspis the most expensive school for criminology, at least for out of state students. We do have an entire page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspschools that might put the price tag of [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania)&nbspinto perspective. You may also care to know that criminology is the 131st most expensive program in America, with an average expense of $35,200. To zoom out a little, the most expensive state for criminology nationally is Oregon demonstrated with a cost of $45,344 at the main college in the state Pacific University. To zoom out even further, the most expensive region for criminology is the Rocky Mountains region which is best demonstrated with [University of Denver](/colleges/university-of-denver) with a cost of $51,336, [Regis University](/colleges/regis-university) with a cost of $37,830, and [University of Utah](/colleges/university-of-utah) with a cost of $26,017.

 Our cheapest region for criminology is the Southeast region which is represented by [Arkansas State University-Main Campus](/colleges/arkansas-state-university-main-campus) with a cost of $13,500, [University of Central Arkansas](/colleges/university-of-central-arkansas) with a cost of $13,620, and [University of Florida-Online](/colleges/university-of-florida-online) with a cost of $15,000. In better news, the most affordable college for criminology is [CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice](/colleges/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice). Our full list of the most affordable schools can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can expect to pay about $10,000 for a degree in criminology. The price grows significantly to an average of $22,900 for an out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our choice for the college representing the best value for criminology: [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). Through this link you will see our comprehensive list for the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. Bear in mind, this discussion is based on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but we do not know in which states any one student has residency.

 Earnings for criminology students range widely, but two-years after finishing the degree students will typically make around $46,000. There is a lot of variation in salary; top earners can enjoy pay up to $78,100. Even right out of university, the lowest earning opportunities within the criminology field earn $27,000, which is an alright wage. The highest earning graduates for criminology come from [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania)&nbspand if you are looking for schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The prevailing diversity of criminology is pretty high, coming in the 77th percentile of all programs. The school with the highest composite diversity for criminology is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list of the universities which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of the Criminology major only ranks in the 79th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even further below average in the 71st percentile. White students make up the largest proportion at 53% of those studying criminology. Additionally, 59% of scholars seeking a criminology degree are women.

 The median score of criminology professors is 4.3 stars, a rating that is 8% above the average score for every major; which is a fairly good ranking. If you are searching for the most popular criminology professor nationally, consider looking up John Owen from [California State University-Fresno](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno). It might be shocking, but the highest ranked professors for criminology according to students are at [California State University-Fresno](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno). If we including data beyond simply rankings we find that the school with the best instructors for criminology is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). One will find an explanation of our evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the finest professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the most difficult college to get into for criminology is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a general page of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, here at Authority we hope you understand that approaching university with a lens only formed from superlatives can create problems. We at Authority hope you look at some of our more focused pages on different colleges and read a few of our helpful background pages on useful details to think about as your school search develops.



 ### POPULARITY

 Criminology is the 60th most popular degree in America, with 8,478 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #61 [Physics](/rankings/best-colleges-for-physics), and narrowly lost to #59 [Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods](/rankings/best-colleges-for-management-sciences-and-quantitative-methods).

 The degree is offered at a total of 194 colleges across the nation, and is the 105th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 5% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 43% of colleges offering criminology are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The southeast produces the most criminology graduates, largely led by [University of Florida](/colleges/university-of-florida), while it’s the Big Ten Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [California State University-Fresno](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno) and [University of California-Irvine](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more criminology graduates than [Arkansas Northeastern College](/colleges/arkansas-northeastern-college), which graduated 415 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study criminology). More students studied criminology as a percentage of total students at [Virginia Union University](/colleges/virginia-union-university) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Criminology is the 131st most expensive degree in the US, with a median cost of $35,228 for the top 50 programs (just ahead of #132, [Sports Communication](rankings/best-colleges-for-sports-communication), with a median cost of $35,190).

 The Rocky Mountains have the most expensive colleges with first-class criminology programs led by [University of Denver](/colleges/university-of-denver) with an annual cost of $51,336. Oregon is the most expensive state for criminology led by [Pacific University](/colleges/pacific-university).

 Public schools with solid programs generally charge 71.41% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 34.34% less than the median private school. So make sure to look into public shools in your state sooner rather than later.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania), which is the 110th most expensive college in America. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez](/colleges/pontifical-catholic-university-of-puerto-rico-mayaguez). It costs just $4,920 per year, but it's ranked 91st for its criminology program. If you’re looking for a higher ranked, but still affordable college, [CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice](/colleges/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice)  is probably a good fit for you, ranked #7 with an in-state cost of just $6,930. Another more affordable pick would be #17, [University of Florida-Online](/colleges/university-of-florida-online) in Alachua County, FL with a cost of $3,358 for in-state students and $15,000 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Starting college is a large investment for most. It is critical to ensure you justify your spend. We hope the following job placement and income data help you make a well informed decision when picking your major.

 The average Criminology student earns a first year salary of $35,038 per year (close to national median 60th percentile). After a little time in their professional lives, they can make as much as $78,090 down to $27,000, but average about $46,001. Just so you know, that's 19% more than the nation wide average.

 The most common job for a Criminology graduate is Customer Service Agent, which for the most part earn around $21,000; next are Analyst and Data Analyst, which typically earn roughly $54,000 and $51,000 respectively.

 New England has the most well paid Criminology graduates. The best paid state for Criminology alumni is MD. Atlantic 10 Conference has the best paid Criminology graduates of any conference..



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Criminology: Median Professor Rating: 4.3 / 5, which is Top 100.

 Instructors oftentimes have a consequential influence your college experience, regardless of your focus. An awesome teacher can help a student find their passion and set one up for future success. On the other hand, a bad experience with a professor can mess up your education or even worse... flunk you!

 Professors of Criminology boast a median student rating of 4.3 out of 5, which puts these professors in 66th place in America based on student approval. For context a 4.3 rating is 7.5% over the national median professor rating for all subjects. Criminology professors barely out-ranked those from ["Special Education and Teaching"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-special-education-and-teaching), whereas ["Real Estate"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-real-estate)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Criminology.

 Now for some statistics about Criminology professors. Colleges located in fringe towns tend to have the best Criminology professors. The Great Lakes Valley Conference has the highest rated Criminology professors. The Mid East region has the highest rated Criminology professors. Public universities tend to have higher rated Criminology professors than private institutions. Finally, Connecticut has the highest rated Criminology professors in the United States.

 John Owen, professor at [California State University-Fresno](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno)&nbspin Fresno, CA is the most popular Criminology professor in the United States. Joseph Hoft, professor at [University of Florida](/colleges/university-of-florida)&nbspin Gainesville, FL is the highest rated Criminology professor in the nation, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Find out which schools have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College can be a supremely poignant time of one's life; it's an opportunity for personal progress and development. Students begin to figure out what they are capable of and cultivate many of the imperative skills to become a halcyon member of society. But growth is not entirely confined to a classroom - the discussions one has with his classmates, the nugget of wisdom received from an old instructor, the exposure to a different attitude. Therefore, finding a diverse college greatly enriches what you gain from your time in school.

 Criminology is a more ethnically diverse major than average\*. 53% of America's Criminology majors are white students, followed by latino students (24%), black students (12%), and students of other races\*\*(7%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university) located in Philadelphia, PA.

 Additionally, Criminology significatly skews female, with nearly 3/5ths of students majoring in Criminology identifying as women. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [The University of Alabama](/colleges/the-university-of-alabama) in Tuscaloosa, AL.

 Another important type of diversity is wealth diversity. Criminology ranks in the top 21% of majors for class diversity. 28% of its majors come from very high income families, 16% are from households who make between $48,000 and $75,000 a year, and 24% grew up in homes with a sub $30,000 income. [Lycoming College](/colleges/lycoming-college) has the most fiscally diverse students in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall MD is the most diverse state for Criminology. The Southeast is the most diverse region, and the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 4%
* Black: 12%
* Latino: 24%
* White: 53%
* Other: 7%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 41%
* Female: 59%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 24%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 16%
* Over 110k: 28%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 69%
* Out of State: 27%
* International: 4%


2023 Criminology Salary

There are about 25,350 students enrolled in Criminology in the USA.

SALARY