2025 Best Criminal Justice Schools in California
24
Colleges in California
8,116
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Criminal Justice is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #27 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 looked at 24 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Criminal Justice Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,116 degrees in criminal justice annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Criminal Justice School
Your choice of criminal justice school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Criminal Justice School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Criminal Justice Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Criminal Justice Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
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 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 criminal justice degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Criminal Justice
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
43rd
Most Popular In CA
257
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Santa Rosa Junior College is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice. SRJC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Santa Rosa. A Best Colleges rank of #121 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SRJC is a great college overall.
There were roughly 257 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at SRJC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Santa Rosa Junior College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
39th
Most Popular In CA
83
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Butte College is a great choice for students interested in a degree in criminal justice. 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 colleges nationwide means Butte College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 83 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Butte College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Butte College
Bachelors
Degree Type
BS in Criminal Justice - Criminology & Crime Analysis
Program Name
Track and understand criminal behavior by earning a BS in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Criminology & Crime Analysis.
More information about a degree in BS in Criminal Justice - Criminology & Crime Analysis from Southern New Hampshire University
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
174
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat Southwestern College if you want to pursue a degree in criminal justice. Located in the large city of Chula Vista, SWC Chula Vista is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #120 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SWC Chula Vista is a great college overall.
There were about 174 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at SWC Chula Vista in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Southwestern College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
54th
Most Popular In CA
144
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Any student who is interested in criminal justice needs to check out Moreno Valley College. Located in the large suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 146th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 144 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Moreno Valley College in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Moreno Valley College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
29th
Most Popular In CA
117
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
MJC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Modesto. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means MJC is a great college overall.
There were approximately 117 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at MJC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Modesto Junior College
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.More information about a degree in criminal justice from College of the Desert
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
65th
Most Popular In CA
43
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Yuba College is a moderately-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 roughly 43 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Yuba College in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Yuba College
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
403
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Located in the large suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 121st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 403 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at East Los Angeles College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from East Los Angeles College
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
184
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
UAGC is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #393 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UAGC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 184 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at UAGC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from The University of Arizona Global Campus
Associate Degree
Highest Degree Type
11th
Most Popular In CA
152
Criminal Justice Degrees Awarded
Fresno City College is a very large public college located in the city of Fresno. This college ranks 98th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 152 criminal justice students who graduated with this degree at Fresno City College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in criminal justice from Fresno City College
