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2025 Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in California

8 Colleges in California
1,924 Police Science Degrees Awarded
Criminal Justice & Police Science is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #74 most popular major 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 reviewed 8 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of criminal justice & police science. Combined, these schools handed out 1,924 degrees in criminal justice & police science to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Criminal Justice & Police Science School

Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in California Your choice of criminal justice & police science school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Criminal Justice & Police Science School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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 & Police Science Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Police Science

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 & Police Science Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 & Police Science in California

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 police science degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top California Schools in Police Science

1
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA
96 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Butte College is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice & police science. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #475 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Butte College is a great college overall.

There were about 96 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Butte College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Butte College

2
Moreno Valley College crest
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In CA

Any student who is interested in criminal justice & police science needs to check out Moreno Valley College. Located in the suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 146th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 5 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Moreno Valley College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Moreno Valley College

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Criminal Justice - Police Administration & Operations Program Name

Explore the demands, functions, goals and leadership opportunities in the modern police agency with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Criminal Justice - Police Administration & Operations from Southern New Hampshire University
3
College of the Desert crest
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In CA
95 Police Science Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat College of the Desert if you want to pursue a degree in criminal justice & police science. College of the Desert is a large public college located in the small city of Palm Desert. A Best Colleges rank of #602 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means College of the Desert is a great college overall.

There were about 95 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at College of the Desert in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from College of the Desert

4
Yuba College crest
Yuba College
Marysville, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
118 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in criminal justice & police science has to take a look at Yuba College. Yuba College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Marysville. A Best Colleges rank of #715 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Yuba College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 118 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Yuba College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Yuba College

5
Victor Valley College crest
Victor Valley College
Victorville, CA

Located in the large suburb of Victorville, Victor Valley College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #870 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Victor Valley College is a great college overall.More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Victor Valley College

6
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
Basic Certificate Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In CA
356 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public college with a very large student population. This college ranks 109th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 356 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at SAC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Santa Ana College

7
Gavilan College crest
Gavilan College
Gilroy, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In CA
103 Police Science Degrees Awarded

Gavilan College is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Gilroy. This college ranks 105th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 103 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Gavilan College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Gavilan College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large suburb of Clovis, Fresno Institute of Technology is a private for-profit school with a small student population. This school ranks 2113th out of 2,152 schools for overall quality nationwide.

There were approximately 20 criminal justice & police science students who graduated with this degree at Fresno Institute of Technology in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in criminal justice & police science from Institute of Technology

Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 153
Oregon 587 57
Nevada 354 70
Hawaii 267 40
Alaska 167 1

View All Rankings >

One of 21 majors within the Criminal Justice & Corrections area of study, Criminal Justice & Police Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice 8,116
Criminal Justice Studies 4,890
Corrections 619
Security & Loss Prevention Services 274
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 67
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 46

View All Police Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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