2025 Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

If you pursue a associate degree in criminal justice, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #10 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 29 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,454 associate degrees in criminal justice to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice School for Your Associate Degree

Your choice of criminal justice for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality criminal justice program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on criminal justice students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of criminal justice students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminal justice related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for criminal justice students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Criminal Justice in the Middle Atlantic Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for criminal justice students seeking a an associate degree.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for an Associate in Criminal Justice

1

Erie Community College
Buffalo, NY

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

52 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Erie Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Erie Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Erie Community College

2

Monroe Community College
Rochester, NY

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

26 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Monroe Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice. Monroe Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Rochester.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Monroe Community College

3

Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

62 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Hudson Valley Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice. HVCC is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Troy.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Hudson Valley Community College

4

Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

139 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Nassau Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in criminal justice. Located in the large suburb of Garden City, Nassau Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Nassau Community College

5

Raritan Valley Community College
Branchburg, NJ

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

47 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Branchburg, RVCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Raritan Valley Community College

6

Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

50 Annual Graduates

HACC is a fairly large public college located in the small city of Harrisburg.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Harrisburg Area Community College

7

Lehigh Carbon Community College
Schnecksville, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

22 Annual Graduates

LCCC is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Schnecksville.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Lehigh Carbon Community College

8

Bryant & Stratton College - Online
Orchard Park, NY

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

59 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Orchard Park, Bryant & Stratton College - Online is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Bryant & Stratton College - Online

9

Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus
Sewell, NJ

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

57 Annual Graduates

RCSJ is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of Sewell.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus

10

Orange County Community College
Middletown, NY

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

24 Annual Graduates

SUNY Orange is a moderately-sized public college located in the small suburb of Middletown.More information about a associate in criminal justice from Orange County Community College

Best Criminal Justice Colleges by State

Explore the best criminal justice schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	429	1,988
Pennsylvania	379	190
New Jersey	249	233
Maryland	221	16
Delaware	96	11

View All Rankings >

Criminal Justice Related Rankings by Major

Criminal Justice is one of 21 different types of Criminal Justice & Corrections programs to choose from.

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Police Science	1,659
Criminal Justice Studies	457
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice	155
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General	135
Corrections	15
Securities Services Administration/Management	4
Corrections Administration	3
Security & Loss Prevention Services	1
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing	1

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.