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CIP 43.0104 Homeland Security and Law Enforcement

Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

36,831

2025 · 811 schools

International share

0.9%

324 international students

Bachelor's degrees

27,386

0.8% international

Master's degrees

3,041

2.1% international

Overview

Criminal Justice/Safety Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the complex systems of crime, law enforcement, legal processes, and public safety. This program typically encompasses various aspects of the criminal justice system, including policing, courts, corrections, and the socio-economic factors influencing crime and safety.

Students in this field study topics such as criminology, criminal law, forensic science, and emergency management, which provide a comprehensive understanding of how societies manage crime and ensure safety. The curriculum often includes courses on crime prevention strategies, the role of law enforcement agencies, the judicial process, and rehabilitation of offenders.

In addition to theoretical knowledge, students are encouraged to engage in practical experiences through internships and community service projects, allowing them to apply their learning in real-world contexts. This hands-on approach helps to develop critical skills such as analytical thinking, communication, and ethical reasoning, which are essential for careers in law enforcement, legal services, public policy, and security management.

Graduates of Criminal Justice/Safety Studies programs can pursue various career paths, including police officers, probation officers, crime analysts, security consultants, and roles within federal agencies such as the FBI or Homeland Security. The demand for professionals in this field is growing, reflecting society's ongoing need for effective crime prevention and public safety strategies. Overall, this discipline plays a crucial role in shaping safer communities and understanding the dynamics of crime and justice in modern society.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates grew 81% and the international share went from 0.7% to 0.9%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
41.6%
Asian
2.7%
Hispanic
29.2%
Black
17.2%
Other
8.4%
Intl.
0.9%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 811 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#27 University of Southern California California 56 0
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 7 1
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 88 7
#42 Northeastern University Massachusetts 109 8
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 176 3
#59 George Washington University D.C. 69 1
#59 Florida State University Florida 628 1
#59 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania 105 4
#73 Howard University D.C. 87 0
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 105 3
#73 Rutgers University-Newark New Jersey 168 4
#90 Texas Christian University Texas 95 0
#95 American University D.C. 156 2
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 129 4
#95 Rutgers University--Camden New Jersey 66 2
#95 Rochester Institute of Technology New York 8 1
#100 Florida International University Florida 441 10
#100 Saint Louis University Missouri 29 1
#109 Temple University Pennsylvania 152 1
#116 Iowa State University Iowa 84 3
#121 University of Central Florida Florida 513 5
#121 SUNY at Albany New York 179 3
#121 University of Dayton Ohio 45 1
#121 George Mason University Virginia 29 0
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 302 0
#137 San Diego State University California 547 2
#137 San Jose State University California 218 1
#137 University of Scranton Pennsylvania 26 0
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 357 0
#148 Mercer University Georgia 12 0
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 3 0
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 298 0
#156 Quinnipiac University Connecticut 43 1
#156 Florida A&M University Florida 113 0
#156 Seton Hall University New Jersey 42 0
#169 Monmouth University New Jersey 71 1
#169 Touro College New York 3 1
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 167 2
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 7 2
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 298 3
#179 Seattle University Washington 29 0
#186 California Lutheran University California 5 0
#186 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan 15 0
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 122 0
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 114 1
#191 Florida Atlantic University Florida 324 7
#191 Georgia State University Georgia 181 3
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 6 0
#191 Adelphi University New York 18 0
#202 Sacred Heart University Connecticut 38 0
#202 University of Massachusetts-Boston Massachusetts 110 1
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 21 0
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 473 1
#208 Ohio Northern University Ohio 13 0
#208 Xavier University Ohio 26 0
#208 University of North Texas Texas 279 2
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 157 1
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 59 2
#219 North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina 115 0
#219 Gannon University Pennsylvania 19 0
#227 San Francisco State University California 170 1
#227 Ball State University Indiana 98 0
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 54 2
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 156 1
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 211 0
#236 University of North Florida Florida 140 1
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 275 3
#236 North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota 50 0
#236 Kent State University at Kent Ohio 156 2
#236 Portland State University Oregon 118 1
#236 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2 0
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 176 1
#250 Nova Southeastern University Florida 83 1
#250 Oakland City University Indiana 9 0
#250 New Mexico State University-Main Campus New Mexico 156 5
#250 La Salle University Pennsylvania 17 0
#250 Lipscomb University Tennessee 1 0
#250 University of Wyoming Wyoming 59 0
#262 Aurora University Illinois 67 0
#262 Western New England University Massachusetts 57 1
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 43 1
#262 DeSales University Pennsylvania 36 0
#262 University of South Dakota South Dakota 47 0
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 276 1
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 12 0
#276 Harding University Arkansas 6 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 60 0
#276 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Ohio 110 0
#288 Wichita State University Kansas 90 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 288 0
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 115 0
#299 Boise State University Idaho 132 1
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 23 0
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 270 9
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 51 0
#299 Concordia University Wisconsin Wisconsin 14 1
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 48 0
#308 North Carolina Central University North Carolina 105 0
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 18 0
#317 University of Mary North Dakota 13 0
#317 Prairie View A&M University Texas 87 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 49 0
#317 Augusta University Georgia 29 0
#328 University of North Texas at Dallas Texas 70 0
#332 Clark Atlanta University Georgia 66 0
#332 Point Park University Pennsylvania 22 0
#332 Texas A&M University--Kingsville Texas 27 0
#332 Texas Woman's University Texas 23 0
#342 University of Northern Colorado Colorado 78 2
#342 University of Akron Ohio 48 0
#342 University of Texas--Tyler Texas 55 0
#342 Kennesaw State University Georgia 197 0
#353 Jacksonville State University Alabama 44 2
#353 Arkansas State University Arkansas 1 0
#353 Southern Illinois University--Edwardsville Illinois 94 0
#353 University of Louisiana--Lafayette Louisiana 52 1
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 65 1
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 119 3
#353 Pennsylvania Western University Pennsylvania 93 0
#365 Troy University Alabama 111 4
#365 Northern Kentucky University Kentucky 52 0
#365 University of Louisiana--Monroe Louisiana 42 0
#365 Jackson State University Mississippi 63 2
#365 Liberty University Virginia 1,174 7
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 83 3
#376 University of Bridgeport Connecticut 28 6
#376 Concordia University-Saint Paul Minnesota 16 0
#382 Grand Canyon University Arizona 121 0
#382 Colorado Technical University Colorado 635 0
#382 Post University Connecticut 199 0
#382 Saint Leo University Florida 185 1
#382 St. Thomas University (FL) Florida 37 3
#382 Southeastern University Florida 27 0
#382 Columbus State University Georgia 129 0
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 86 1
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 14 0
#382 Chicago State University Illinois 28 0
#382 Governors State University Illinois 46 0
#382 Roosevelt University Illinois 27 0
#382 Southern University and A&M College Louisiana 112 0
#382 Wright State University-Main Campus Ohio 2 0
#382 Southwestern Oklahoma State University Oklahoma 13 0
#382 Angelo State University Texas 60 0
#382 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Texas 52 0
#382 Dallas Baptist University Texas 8 0
#382 East Texas A&M University Texas 221 0
#382 Houston Christian University Texas 16 1
#382 Lamar University Texas 196 0
#382 Tarleton State University Texas 161 0
#382 Texas Wesleyan University Texas 24 0
#382 Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus Puerto Rico 18 0
#382 Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Puerto Rico 8 0
LAC #116 Roanoke College Virginia 22 1
LAC #119 Coe College Iowa 11 0
LAC #138 Truman State University Missouri 14 1
LAC #140 Alcorn State University Mississippi 13 0
LAC #142 Houghton University New York 1 0
LAC #146 Claflin University South Carolina 33 0
LAC #150 Dillard University Louisiana 25 0
LAC #153 University of Hawaii--Hilo Hawaii 26 0
LAC #166 Fort Valley State University Georgia 33 0
LAC #172 Guilford College North Carolina 20 0
LAC #175 Mitchell College Connecticut 7 0
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 21 0
LAC #177 Grambling State University Louisiana 165 0
LAC #180 Alabama State University Alabama 41 0
LAC #184 Edward Waters University Florida 23 0
LAC #184 College of Coastal Georgia Georgia 15 0
LAC #184 Indiana University-Southeast Indiana 19 0
LAC #184 Louisiana State University at Alexandria Louisiana 62 0
LAC #184 Harris-Stowe State University Missouri 26 2
LAC #184 Lane College Tennessee 16 0
LAC #184 Texas A&M University-Texarkana Texas 17 0
LAC #184 Utah Tech University Utah 81 0
LAC #184 Glenville State University West Virginia 1 0
LAC #184 West Virginia State University West Virginia 42 1
— Sam Houston State University Texas 812 2
— American Public University System West Virginia 751 10
— Purdue University Global Indiana 634 1
— University of Maryland Global Campus Maryland 424 3
— California State University-Northridge California 337 4
— The University of Arizona Global Campus Arizona 292 0
— University of Houston-Downtown Texas 261 2
— California State University--San Bernardino California 217 0
— El Paso Community College Texas 207 0
— South Texas College Texas 206 0
— Ivy Tech Community College Indiana 187 0
— California State University-Dominguez Hills California 171 0
— California State University-Stanislaus California 170 1
— College of Southern Nevada Nevada 163 1
— Northern Virginia Community College Virginia 162 5
— Dallas College Texas 161 0
— Suffolk County Community College New York 154 0
— California State University-Bakersfield California 149 0
— Lone Star College System Texas 144 2
— Stockton University New Jersey 142 0
— William Paterson University of New Jersey New Jersey 142 1
— Weber State University Utah 140 0
— Westfield State University Massachusetts 135 1
— Metropolitan State University of Denver Colorado 130 2
— Bridgewater State University Massachusetts 125 0
— Appalachian State University North Carolina 120 0
— Western Carolina University North Carolina 119 1
— California State University--East Bay California 117 0
— University of North Carolina at Pembroke North Carolina 116 1
— University of North Georgia Georgia 116 1

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 154,610 $53.94 $112,190
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other 73,910 $31.86 $66,280
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers 53,380 $40.57 $84,380
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary 13,150 — $87,550

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.