Criminology programs incorporate sociological, legal, and psychological elements to equip students to cope with offenders, comprehend the judicial system, and seek to prevent crime. Holders of a criminology degree might work in various settings, including prisons, psychology, social work, and even teaching. Because of this variety of careers, criminology graduates will earn a broad range of earnings. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 best criminology schools in USA.
Top 10 Best Criminology Schools In USA
1. University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1740 is a private academic institution with a current undergraduate enrollment of over 25,000 students. Three criminology degree programs are available at the University of Pennsylvania.
The institution was created by Benjamin Franklin before the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, making it one of only nine colleges chartered during that period. Penn’s yearly tuition and fees are over $55,000, and the institution is ranked among the best in the country.
The institution is a city with a medieval gothic campus and a walled-in student housing complex just north of the Schuylkill River and steps from Rittenhouse Square. Classes are held on a semester basis, and the present student-faculty ratio is 6:1, one of the lowest for a major institution in the country.
Students may join various social groups, such as the legendary Penn Glee Club, or work at The Daily Pennsylvanian, the student-run newspaper, throughout their time at UPenn. Former US President Donald Trump, author Noam Chomsky, and I.M. Pei, the creator of the Louvre Pyramid, are among the notable graduates. The University of Pennsylvania is among the top 10 best criminology schools in USA.
2. University of Maryland
This institution is a public university in Maryland established in 1856 and has approximately 40,000 students. This institution, located in suburban College Park, Maryland, just south of downtown Baltimore, offers over 120 departments and 112 graduate programs, focusing on research and community-based learning.
Three criminology degree programs are available at the University of Maryland-College Park. The University of Maryland is noted for its landmark McKeldin Mall reflecting pool and red-brick Georgian campus architecture.
The University of Maryland offers a variety of recognized academic programs in subjects such as criminology, public policy, engineering, and business, and Maryland residents pay in-state tuition, which is much less than out-of-state applicants.
The Chesapeake Project, run by the University of Maryland Office of Sustainability on campus, fosters the integration of sustainability teaching into current curriculums across disciplines. Students at the University of Maryland have used this initiative to engage in environmentally aware events like the Solar Decathlon and influence the university’s Climate Action Plan.
Outside of academics, the University of Maryland sporting teams, led by school mascot Testudo the Terrapin, play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, featuring an annual football rivalry at XFINITY Center with the University of Virginia.
3. University of Miami
The University of Maryland is a public university in Maryland established in 1856 and has approximately 40,000 students. This institution offers over 120 departments and 112 graduate programs, focusing on research and community-based learning. Three criminology degree programs are available at the University of Maryland-College Park.
The University of Maryland offers a variety of recognized academic programs in subjects such as public policy, engineering, and business, and Maryland residents pay in-state tuition, which is much less than out-of-state applicants.
The Chesapeake Project, run by the University of Maryland Office of Sustainability on campus, fosters the integration of sustainability teaching into current curriculums across disciplines. Students at the University of Maryland have used this initiative to engage in environmentally aware events like the Solar Decathlon and influence the university’s Climate Action Plan.
3. University of Florida
The University of Florida’s BA in Criminology is regarded as one of the top 10 best criminology schools in USA. Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Florida must finish a minimum of 120-semester courses. Advanced criminal justice fundamentals are covered in the University of Florida’s undergraduate criminal justice program and electives such as crime and punishment in American history, US legal history, or law and economics, to name a few.
The University of Florida began as a land-grant institution in the 1850s. Furthermore, the University of Florida is a marine and space grant school of higher education, with over 56,500 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled. The University of Florida student-athletes have earned more than 100 Olympic medals.
4. University of Delaware
The Department of Social and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware provides a Bachelor of Arts degree program (BA) in Criminal Justice that is widely regarded as one of the top 10 best criminology schools in USA. The mandatory field experience or practicum, which blends theory and knowledge with actual practice, is an important aspect of UD’s top undergraduate criminology programs. Problems of law enforcement, introduction to criminal justice, prisons, and the criminal judiciary are just a few of the classes offered in this criminal justice undergraduate degree.
The University of Delaware, founded in the 1830s under the Morrill Land Grant Act, is the state’s most prominent university. UDel has a main campus in Newark and satellite campuses in Lewes, Georgetown, Dover, and Wilmington, serving about 24,100 students each year. The University of Delaware is one of just four colleges and universities in the United States that offers an art conservation program.
5. University of Iowa
With its Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Law & Justice, the University of Iowa’s (IA) College of Liberal Arts/Sciences provides two of Iowa’s top undergraduate criminology programs.
Coursework in criminology, sociological theory, criminology research methodologies, and a capstone or internship in criminal justice, to mention a few, are all required in these most exemplary undergraduate criminal justice programs. Students interested in criminal justice may also pursue a double major in business analytics or finance at the institution.
The University of Iowa was founded in the 1840s and is today a space-grant university. The campus of the University of Iowa is located along the Iowa River and serves around 33,000 students each year. The University of Iowa is the state’s second-largest and oldest higher education institution.
6. Northeastern University
Northeastern University was established in the late 1890s as a multi-campus institution of higher education. More than 27,550 undergraduate and graduate students study at the school’s online and on-campus locations in Boston, Charlotte, Seattle, San Jose, San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, and Vancouver. Northeastern University is well-known for its unique cooperative education model, which enables students to study while working and earning money.
The School of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Northeastern University One of New England’s most outstanding undergraduate criminology programs in Criminal Justice’s Bachelor of Science (BS) in Criminology & Law & Society Criminal Justice. Criminal due process, human trafficking, corruption, youth crime and justice, policing a democratic society, integrity and accountability, global criminality, psychological crime, white-collar/corporate crime, the death penalty, and introduction to criminal justice are just a few of the classes offered by Northeastern University’s best undergraduate criminal justice degree.
7. Washington State University
The BA in Criminal Justice at Washington State University is one of the state’s top undergraduate criminal justice programs. Administration of criminal justice, introduction to criminological theory, criminal justice management, policing in America, violence against women, comparative criminal justice systems, crime control policies, and juvenile justice and corrections are just a few of the classes offered through Washington State University’s best undergraduate criminal justice programs.
The Morrill Land Grant Act founded Washington State University (Wazzu) as a land-grant institution in 1890. More than 30,550 undergraduate and graduate students enroll at Washington State University each year. Washington State University is the state’s second-largest institution of higher education, with campuses in Vancouver, Spokane, Pullman, and the Tri-Cities.
8. San Diego State University
San Diego State University is a public higher education institution that began as a normal school in 1897. SDSU is the third-oldest and southernmost campus in the California State University system. Highlight -On the school’s 275-acre urban campus in San Diego, more than 35,550 students take courses online.
San Diego State University provides an online or on-campus bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. The undergraduate criminal justice programs at San Diego State University educate students for employment in law enforcement, loss prevention, city administration, probation, or the sheriff’s office.
Law & society, systems of justice, criminal justice policy & planning, criminal conduct, and juvenile justice are just a few of the topics covered in the best undergraduate criminology programs at SDSU. The criminal justice degree program has specializations in crime and behavior, criminal justice systems, and law and society.
9. University of South Florida
The BA in Criminology at the University of South Florida is regarded as one of the top 10 best criminology schools in USA. The undergraduate criminal justice degree at the University of South Florida requires students to complete a minimum of 120 semester hours at the bachelor’s level.
Research techniques in criminal justice, theories of criminal conduct, and an overview of the criminal justice system are just a few of the courses required for an undergraduate degree in criminal justice at the University of South Florida.
The University of South Florida is a multi-campus higher education institution established in the 1950s. Each year, roughly 50,550 students attend the university’s campuses in St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Tamp. The University of South Florida is the ninth largest public institution of higher learning in the United States, with 12 schools and colleges.
10. The University of Illinois at Chicago
The BA in Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the most creative and top undergraduate criminal justice degrees in the Windy City. The undergraduate criminology programs at the University of Illinois at Chicago require students to complete 120 bachelor’s level credit units in law and society, criminology, intro to criminology, law, justice, fundamentals of criminal law, and research methodologies.
The University of Illinois at Chicago is a research-intensive university with two locations in Windy City. UIC is the most prominent institution in the greater Chicago region, with roughly 33,150 students competing for degrees provided by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s sixteen colleges/schools. The University of Illinois at Chicago is a research university that serves both Hispanic and Asian students.
Conclusion
Criminologists employ a variety of research methodologies and theoretical approaches to improve our knowledge of crime and criminal justice. Graduates of criminology go on to work in various fields, including criminal profiling, investigation, and forensic psychology.
Many universities in the United Kingdom offer criminology degrees, but just a few stand out. We have compiled the list of the top 10 best criminology schools in Nigeria.
