Doctor’s Degrees in Criminal Justice & Corrections
Featured schools near , edit
Education Levels of Criminal Justice Majors
In 2019-2020, 215 earned their doctor's degree in criminal justice. This earns it the #87 spot on the list of the most popular doctor's degree programs in the nation.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in criminal justice at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 6,653 |
Graduate Certificate | 584 |
Doctor’s Degree | 215 |
Earnings of Criminal Justice Majors With Doctor’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding a doctor's degree in criminal justice is $67,000. A lot of factors can contribute to this number, such as the location of your workplace and the availability of other perks and bonuses. To get a better picture, earnings for this category of people can range from a low of $67,000 to a high of $67,000.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding a doctor's degree in criminal justice is $119,512. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary. The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $119,512 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $119,512.

Those students who are paying back their debt on a 10-year repayment plan have a median monthly payment of $1,393.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their doctor's degree in criminal justice. About 60.5% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 85 |
Women | 130 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of criminal justice doctor’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1 |
Black or African American | 43 |
Hispanic or Latino | 16 |
White | 101 |
International Students | 24 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 30 |

Most Popular Criminal Justice Programs for Doctor’s Degrees
There are 36 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in criminal justice. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
Walden University tops the list of the most popular school in the U.S. for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree. Roughly 49,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,139 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,272 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 35 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at Walden University. About 58% of this group were women, and 48% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 2nd most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is California University of Pennsylvania. Roughly 6,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,716 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,288 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 19 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from Cal U. About 31% of this group were women, and 38% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Nova Southeastern University is the 2nd most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in criminal justice. Each year, around 20,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $32,370 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $20,618 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 19 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from NUS Florida. Of these students, 55% were women and 45% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 2nd most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. Each year, around 40,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $9,723 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,224 per year. The criminal justice program at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus awarded 19 doctor's degrees during the 2019-2020 school year. Of these students, 60% were women and 12% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 5th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Capella University. Roughly 38,900 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $14,148 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,767 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 17 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from Capella University. About 46% of this group were women, and 50% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 6th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is The Graduate Center, CUNY. Each year, around 9,300 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $6,930 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,930 per year. The criminal justice program at The Graduate Center, CUNY awarded 15 doctor's degrees during the 2019-2020 school year. About 56% of this group were women, and 44% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Florida State University is the 7th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in criminal justice. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,640 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,684 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 13 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at Florida State. About 100% of this group were women, and 14% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 8th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Sam Houston State University. Roughly 21,900 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,856 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $5,765 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 8 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from SHSU. About 86% of this group were women, and 14% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Washington State University comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in criminal justice. Roughly 31,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,202 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,781 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 8 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at Wazzu. About 80% of this group were women, and 20% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 10th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Rutgers University - Newark. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,230 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $17,736 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 7 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from Rutgers Newark.
The 11th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is George Mason University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $9,510 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,594 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 6 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at GMU.
Northeastern University comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in criminal justice. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $54,360 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $25,264 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 6 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at Northeastern.
University of Nebraska at Omaha is the 13th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 15,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $6,344 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $6,138 per year. The criminal justice program at University of Nebraska at Omaha awarded 5 doctor's degrees during the 2019-2020 school year.
University at Albany comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in criminal justice. Each year, around 17,600 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,070 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,310 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 5 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at UAlbany.
The 15th most popular school in the country for criminal justice majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Texas Southern University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $6,941 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $4,767 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 4 doctor's degrees were handed out to criminal justice majors at TSU.
University of Illinois at Chicago is the 15th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 33,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,105 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,799 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 4 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from UIC. Around 33% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 67% were women.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock is the 18th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in criminal justice. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $6,495 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $5,760 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 3 people received their doctor's degree in criminal justice from UA Little Rock.
Georgia State University is the 18th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in criminal justice. Roughly 36,300 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,158 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,164 per year. The criminal justice program at Georgia State University awarded 3 doctor's degrees during the 2019-2020 school year. Around 33% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 67% were women.
Explore Major by State
Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut
Florida
Idaho
Iowa
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Vermont
West Virginia
Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to criminal justice that offer doctor’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Homeland Security | 32 |
19 | |
Other Homeland Security | 12 |
Fire Protection | 3 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |