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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student-teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.

Do you want to acquire a bachelor’s degree in criminology but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best bachelor’s in criminology programs.

What institution did we omit from this list? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.

1. University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD

The BA in criminology and criminal justice at UMD stresses a three-tiered approach to crime, introducing learners equally to policing, courts, and corrections. In addition to the core, introductory classes that cover criminology, the justice system, research methodology, and law, learners will also take highly specialized classes such as: crime and delinquency prevention, contemporary criminological theory, courts and sentencing, and policing.

2. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

The University of Florida is an elite research institution, comprised of 16 colleges. UF has hundreds of academic and professional degree programs for its learner body of nearly 56,000. The University of Florida has a BA in criminology that gives learners a foundation in the study of criminal behavior. Classes include criminological theory, law and society, American state and local government, and social problems.

3. George Washington University, Washington, DC

George Washington University was first charted by the US congress and was established out of the dreams and aspirations of our first president. The Department of Sociology at GWU has a BA in criminal justice degree steeped in sociological theory. This is a perfect degree program for people who want to comprehend the relationship between society and crime. Classes include youth and delinquency, criminology, criminal law, and techniques of data analysis,

4. Northeastern University, Boston MA

Northeastern University is a co-op-based institution where undergraduate learners split their time between coursework semesters and paid internships. Northeastern is a top-notch research institution that prides itself on graduating highly trained learners.

After learners earn a BS in criminal justice degree, they will become knowledgeable in criminology and research methods. Because of Northeastern’s unique co-op model, learners are expected to finish at least two co-op integrations across their four year years. Learners who want to earn a dual degree can combine their BS in criminal justice with a bachelor’s in computer science, political science, psychology, human services, or law (JD).

5. The College of New Jersey, Trenton, NJ

The College of New Jersey was first established as a teacher’s college. The college has a BA in criminology that emphasizes social contexts. Learners get broad comprehension of the social science behind criminology and the criminal justice system. Classes include policing civil societies, judicature, penology, and criminal law and procedure.

6. University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX

The UT Dallas BA in criminology degree program prepares its learners for work in policing, corrections, crime scene investigation, and victim advocacy. Learners in this program also have the chance to take graduate-level classes thereby earning both a BA and a master’s degree in an expedited fashion.

7. Stonehill College, Easton, MA

Stonehill College is a Roman Catholic school with a liberal arts college established by the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Learners can obtain a markedly interdisciplinary degree in criminology at Stonehill College. This degree program is established in the liberal arts, emphasizing the need for learners to develop critical thinking and communication skills.

8. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

NC State’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology has a BA in criminology that presents crime from both a social and individual viewpoint. NC State learners investigate crime while thinking through causation, correction, and even prevention. Core classes include social deviance, criminology, principles of sociology, and social research methods.

9. University of Denver, Denver, CO

The BA in criminology degree program at the University of Denver provides a broad foundation in crime, law, and justice. Learners not only investigate the social factors contributing to crime, but they also examine power dynamics and their influence on identifying and prosecuting crime.

10. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Ohio State University is a research institution, which offers hundreds of degree opportunities with academic strengths in many areas and subjects. With 60,000 learners, OSU is one of the largest schools in the nation. OSU has a BA in criminology and criminal justice studies degree that balances theory with application. Learners, therefore, get a broad comprehension of the causes and consequences of crime while also learning how to create programs that prevent and control crime.

11. University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

The University of Miami has around 16,000 learners. Its BA in criminology degree is heavy on the quantitative. For people who are interested in the statistics, data analytics, and social research behind crime, this is a perfect degree program. Of course, you’ll also develop a foundational viewpoint on criminal behavior through classes such as theories of deviant behavior, juvenile delinquency, criminal justice, and introduction to sociology.

12. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Through Penn State’s highly rated criminology department, learner can obtain either a BA or a BS in criminology. While the former enables learners to pursue a liberal arts education with an interdisciplinary perspective to criminal justice, the latter is full of research methodology and quantification.

13. Loyola University at New Orleans, New Orleans, LA

Loyola’s BA in criminology and justice degree offers both a practical and theoretical view of criminal justice. Along with core classes that introduce the criminal justice system, criminal behavior, and research methods, learners will take several electives, such as victimology and victim services, administration of justice, criminological analysis, and corrections.

14. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE

Organized into six colleges, UNO has over 200 academic and professional programs. And more than 15,000 learners attend UNO. The BS in criminology and criminal justice degree program prepares learners to become police officers, DEA agents, correctional counselors, or probation officers. This degree program gives learners a foundation in criminal behavior theory as well as a sociological research methodology. Offered both on-campus and online, classes cover police and society, criminal court system, survey of corrections, and applied statistics and data processing in the public sector.

15. Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Washington State University is home to around 30,000 learners. WSU’s BA in criminal justice and criminology degree program emphasizes both the causes and patterns of criminal behaviors. Additionally, it encourages learners to assess institutions and larger criminal justice systems. This is a notably policy-based degree program that incorporates sociology, psychology, and political science. Its core classes consist of introduction to the administration of criminal justice, introduction to criminological theory, crime control policies, and criminal law.