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Criminology

Students study the causes, patterns, and social responses to criminal behavior, using sociological and statistical methods to analyze crime data, justice policy, and rehabilitation effectiveness. Graduates typically pursue careers in criminal justice research, policy analysis, victim advocacy, law enforcement analytics, and government agencies studying crime trends. Unlike criminal justice, criminology emphasizes the academic study of crime rather than system operations.

Compare Schools

Schools

111

Programs analyzed

Earnings

$36,749

Avg 1-yr grad earnings

Range $16,199–$49,004

Outlook

42/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

AI Risk

High

55% task exposure

Field Overview

What Criminology graduates do

Your criminology degree prepares you for a career analyzing the "why" behind crime, not just the "who." Many graduates start as social science technicians, collecting data for studies on community policing or coding interview transcripts from incarcerated individuals for senior researchers. With experience or an advanced degree, you could become a sociologist designing research on the root causes of deviance or a psychologist assessing individuals for court proceedings.

Career progression often leads to management, where you’ll oversee teams and budgets in government agencies, non-profits, or corporate security. These leadership roles offer the most openings, while specialized academic and research positions are more competitive. Across these paths, AI is set to automate significant chunks of routine work, like identifying patterns in crime data or summarizing case files. The jobs aren't disappearing, but your focus will shift toward interpreting complex human factors, making nuanced judgments, and designing the real-world intervention programs that AI can't. Adaptability is key.

If Criminology isn't the right fit, programs like Urban Studies, Sociology, and Sociology and Anthropology draw from adjacent disciplines.

Career Trajectories

Where Criminology graduates work

Common career paths for Criminology graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 122,700 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role	Median Pay	Annual Openings	10-yr Growth	AI Exposure
Managers, all other	$136,550 $100K–$179K	106,700	+4.5%	Moderate · 47%
Psychologists, all other	$117,580 $74K–$145K	3,900	+4.3%	Moderate · 44%
Sociologists	$101,690 $78K–$135K	300	+3.6%	High · 54%
Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary	$71,470 $56K–$100K	1,200	+2.0%	High · 50%
Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other	$60,130 $46K–$78K	10,600	+3.5%	High · 55%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Top Institutions

Best schools for Criminology

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 111.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 58

University of Maryland-College Park

College Park, MD · Public

$43,698 1-yr earnings

14.1x ROI multiple

High AI risk

University of Southern Maine

Portland, ME · #2

$47,726/yr · 13.6x ROI

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville, FL · #3

$35,096/yr · 38.4x ROI

University at Albany

Albany, NY · #4

$42,257/yr · 14.0x ROI

#	School	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	ROI
5	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	55	$35,096	22.9x
6	University of Massachusetts Global Irvine, CA · Public	54	$42,698	11.8x
7	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV · Public	54	$39,804	15.3x
8	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	54	$35,076	17.0x
9	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA · Public	53	$43,914	13.1x
10	Framingham State University Framingham, MA · Public	53	$41,431	12.0x
11	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA · Public	53	$40,228	15.2x
12	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI · Public	53	$40,060	15.4x
13	Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus Mansfield, OH · Public	53	$39,396	14.6x
14	SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY · Public	53	$38,764	15.6x
15	State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY · Public	53	$34,768	16.8x
16	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public	52	$42,562	10.3x
17	University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public	52	$37,108	19.2x
18	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT · Public	51	$40,713	10.9x
19	University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX · Public	51	$35,673	16.6x
20	California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA · Public	51	$34,694	16.6x
21	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY · Public	51	$33,798	17.9x
22	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI · Public	50	$49,004	11.1x
23	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public	50	$37,535	9.8x
24	University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI · Public	49	$45,113	12.1x
25	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	49	$41,780	8.3x
26	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	49	$39,396	10.2x
27	University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA · Public	49	$33,839	19.1x
28	Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN · Public	48	$39,769	11.7x
29	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA · Public	48	$37,911	11.0x
30	Wright State University-Lake Campus Celina, OH · Public	48	$37,476	14.9x
31	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	48	$35,968	9.1x
32	University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC · Public	48	$34,443	15.7x
33	Saint Anselm College Manchester, NH · Private nonprofit	47	$46,814	3.0x
34	Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, MD · Private nonprofit	46	$43,230	3.1x
35	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH · Public	46	$39,814	6.8x
36	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL · Public	46	$37,645	9.5x
37	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	46	$37,214	9.6x
38	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO · Public	46	$36,185	12.3x
39	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	46	$35,588	14.1x
40	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	46	$34,522	9.5x
41	Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	45	$43,283	2.6x
42	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	45	$40,603	8.1x
43	Lasell University Newton, MA · Private nonprofit	45	$40,527	5.0x
44	Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA · Public	45	$37,255	9.6x
45	Delaware State University Dover, DE · Public	45	$30,710	12.2x
46	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI · Public	44	$36,891	7.9x
47	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR · Public	43	$38,453	8.5x
48	University of Missouri-St Louis Saint Louis, MO · Public	43	$38,207	8.3x
49	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	43	$38,087	8.6x
50	Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH · Public	43	$37,476	9.6x
51	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR · Public	43	$36,732	12.2x
52	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA · Public	43	$36,276	10.2x
53	Stockton University Galloway, NJ · Public	43	$34,596	8.1x
54	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA · Public	43	$29,123	14.3x
55	Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT · Public	42	$39,705	6.5x
56	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	42	$39,349	7.8x
57	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · Public	42	$38,520	7.8x
58	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	42	$32,393	9.4x
59	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA · Public	42	$31,224	14.1x
60	Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA · Private nonprofit	41	$43,170	5.2x
61	University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	41	$41,780	2.3x
62	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public	41	$33,191	10.7x
63	Assumption University Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit	40	$48,600	1.5x
64	Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA · Private nonprofit	40	$38,828	2.4x
65	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	40	$38,057	5.1x
66	St. John Fisher University Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	40	$33,623	3.3x
67	Lakeland University Plymouth, WI · Private nonprofit	39	$45,276	3.0x
68	University of Saint Mary Leavenworth, KS · Private nonprofit	39	$42,633	2.1x
69	Southern Wesleyan University Central, SC · Private nonprofit	39	$40,834	2.7x
70	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ · Private nonprofit	39	$37,619	3.1x
71	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Madison, NJ · Private nonprofit	39	$37,619	3.1x
72	Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX · Public	39	$30,490	10.6x
73	Concordia University-Chicago River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit	38	$41,724	1.9x
74	William Peace University Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit	38	$41,509	2.1x
75	Cabrini University Radnor, PA · Private nonprofit	38	$33,632	3.3x
76	Barry University Miami, FL · Private nonprofit	37	$44,015	2.7x
77	Hamline University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	37	$41,204	1.1x
78	Stonehill College Easton, MA · Private nonprofit	37	$40,928	1.9x
79	Gonzaga University Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit	37	$38,028	2.0x
80	Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY · Public	37	$32,370	6.1x
81	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	36	$40,229	0.7x
82	Virginia Union University Richmond, VA · Private nonprofit	36	$30,291	7.1x
83	Niagara University Niagara University, NY · Private nonprofit	35	$36,781	1.4x
84	Hofstra University Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit	35	$35,249	2.0x
85	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public	35	$31,729	3.8x
86	National Louis University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	35	$30,170	5.1x
87	Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL · Private nonprofit	34	$39,713	2.0x
88	Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA · Private nonprofit	34	$37,563	2.3x
89	Emmanuel College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	34	$36,824	1.0x
90	Eastern University Saint Davids, PA · Private nonprofit	34	$34,876	1.3x
91	University of La Verne La Verne, CA · Private nonprofit	34	$34,292	2.3x
92	Capital University Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit	34	$32,984	2.6x
93	Johnson C Smith University Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit	34	$32,751	4.6x
94	Lycoming College Williamsport, PA · Private nonprofit	33	$40,646	1.7x
95	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	33	$35,650	2.0x
96	The University of Tampa Tampa, FL · Private nonprofit	33	$34,137	2.8x
97	Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN · Private nonprofit	33	$30,653	2.3x
98	University of Denver Denver, CO · Private nonprofit	31	$40,667	0.7x
99	Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA · Private nonprofit	31	$35,578	1.8x
100	California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA · Private nonprofit	31	$31,963	0.6x
101	Saint Edward's University Austin, TX · Private nonprofit	31	$31,839	0.5x
102	Dominican University River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit	31	$31,758	2.4x
103	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit	31	$29,670	1.8x
104	St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX · Private nonprofit	30	$33,978	2.0x
105	Arcadia University Glenside, PA · Private nonprofit	30	$33,823	1.7x
106	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL · Private nonprofit	28	$29,240	2.6x
107	Coker University Hartsville, SC · Private nonprofit	26	$25,862	2.5x
108	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR · Private nonprofit	26	$19,300	8.4x
109	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo Arecibo, PR · Private nonprofit	25	$16,199	8.5x
110	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Ponce, PR · Private nonprofit	25	$16,199	8.3x
111	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR · Private nonprofit	25	$16,199	8.5x

Compare 111 Criminology programs side by side in our full ranking →

Highest Earnings Top 5

University of Wisconsin-Stout WI	$49,004
Assumption University MA	$48,600
University of Southern Maine ME	$47,726
Saint Anselm College NH	$46,814
Lakeland University WI	$45,276

Best ROI Top 5

University of Florida-Online FL	38.4x
University of Florida FL	22.9x
University of South Florida FL	19.2x
University of West Georgia GA	19.1x
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice NY	17.9x

Criminology vs Other Majors

See how Criminology compares to similar fields on earnings, AI risk, and career paths.

Criminology vs Criminal Justice

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Criminology.

Political Science Sociology Economics Anthropology International Relations Geography and Cartography Social Sciences Social Sciences Studies Urban Studies Sociology and Anthropology Psychology Business Administration

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Criminology offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Criminology trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →

FAQ

Frequently asked about Criminology

What's the typical salary after a Criminology degree?

Across 111 schools, Criminology graduates earn an average of $36,749 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $16,199 to $49,004 depending on the school.

Will AI affect Criminology careers?

Our analysis classifies Criminology as "High" for AI risk — approximately 55% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts most of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.

What's the top-ranked school for Criminology?

Our data ranks University of Maryland-College Park first among 111 Criminology programs. Its score of 58/100 reflects strong outcomes across earnings ($43,698/yr), return on investment, and career durability.

What's the outlook for a Criminology degree?

The average 10-year earnings multiple is 8.0x tuition. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly. The spread between the best and worst programs is wide, so individual school selection has a major impact.