by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for criminal justice & corrections students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,999 bachelor's degrees in criminal justice & corrections during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The criminal justice bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminal justice & corrections students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 & Corrections Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections.
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections has to check out Temple University. Temple is a very large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program earn around $38,612 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Temple University
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a great choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.
After graduation, criminal justice bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $36,959 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
University of Scranton is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections. Located in the small city of Scranton, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the criminal justice program make around $32,300 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from University of Scranton
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in criminal justice & corrections needs to look into Robert Morris University. Located in the suburb of Moon Township, RMU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Robert Morris University
Located in the town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania make $2,995 more than the standard criminal justice student.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Located in the town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,311.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Located in the small city of Erie, Mercyhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the criminal justice program state that they receive average early career earnings of $38,557.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Mercyhurst University
Located in the large suburb of Center Valley, DeSales is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Those criminal justice & corrections students who get their bachelor's degree from DeSales University make $7,357 more than the average criminal justice student.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from DeSales University
Located in the suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
After graduating, criminal justice bachelor's recipients generally earn around $31,663 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from Widener University
Located in the medium-sized suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Criminal Justice & Corrections bachelor's degree recipients from York College of Pennsylvania earn a boost of about $4,027 over the average earnings of criminal justice & corrections majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in criminal justice & corrections from York College of PennsylvaniaExplore all the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 275 | 3,973 |
| Maryland | 207 | 731 |
| New Jersey | 193 | 1,695 |
| Delaware | 130 | 117 |
| District of Columbia | 126 | 293 |
One of 4 majors within the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting area of study, Criminal Justice & Corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice Studies | 1,236 |
| Criminal Justice | 654 |
| Corrections | 36 |
| Criminal Justice & Police Science | 29 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | 17 |
| Securities Services Administration/Management | 15 |
| Other Corrections & Criminal Justice | 12 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Security Science and Technology | 252 |
| Homeland Security | 54 |
| Other Homeland Security | 35 |