criminology phd rankings

Best Criminology Schools

Ranked in 2021, part of Best Social Sciences and Humanities Schools

Criminology programs combine

Criminology programs combine principles of sociology, law and psychology to prepare students to deal with criminals, understand the justice system and work to prevent crime. These are the top graduate schools for criminology. Each school's score reflects its average rating on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding), based on a survey of academics at peer institutions. Read the methodology »

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2024 Best Criminology Doctor's Degree Schools

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for criminology students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 56 doctor's degrees in criminology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Criminology School for Your Doctor's Degree

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on criminology students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of criminology students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for criminology to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized criminology related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for criminology students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Criminology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Criminology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings , to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Criminology in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for criminology students seeking a a doctor's degree.

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Criminology

It is hard to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in criminology. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. More information about a doctorate in criminology from University of California - Irvine

University of Maryland - College Park is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in criminology. UMCP is a very large public university located in the suburb of College Park. More information about a doctorate in criminology from University of Maryland - College Park

University of Delaware is a good choice for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in criminology. UD is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Newark. More information about a doctorate in criminology from University of Delaware

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in criminology has to look into University of Florida. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in criminology from University of Florida

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tempe. More information about a doctorate in criminology from Arizona State University - Tempe

Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in criminology from Washington State University

Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. More information about a doctorate in criminology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

USF Tampa is a very large public university located in the large city of Tampa. More information about a doctorate in criminology from University of South Florida - Main Campus

UMSL is a large public university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. More information about a doctorate in criminology from University of Missouri - St Louis

Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in criminology from Old Dominion University

Related Programs

Learn about other programs related to Criminology that might interest you.

AS in Criminal Justice

Gain a solid foundation in the American justice system, criminal law and social science when you earn your associate degree in criminal justice online from Southern New Hampshire University.

MS in Criminal Justice

Gain the management, leadership, data analysis and budgeting skills you need to advance in the criminal justice field with this online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.

BS in Criminal Justice

Navigating today's complex criminal justice system takes a great communicator with real–world perspective. The goal of SNHU's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice is to get you there. You'll learn from professionals across all disciplines who bring their experience to the classroom.

Criminology by Region

View the Best Criminology Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Other Rankings

Best associate degrees in criminology, best master's degrees in criminology, best value in criminology, best for non-traditional students in criminology, best online in criminology, most popular online in criminology, best bachelor's degrees in criminology, best overall in criminology, highest paid grads in criminology, best for veterans in criminology, most popular in criminology, most focused in criminology.

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Rankings in Majors Related to Criminology

Criminology is one of 0 different types of <nil> programs to choose from.

Criminology Focus Areas

Notes and references.

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ( IPEDS ) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s ( College Scorecard ). More about our data sources and methodologies .

Popular Reports

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Doctor of Criminology Programs in America

1-14 of 14 results

School of Arts & Sciences - University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA •

University of Pennsylvania •

Graduate School

University of Pennsylvania ,

Graduate School ,

PHILADELPHIA, PA ,

Liberal Arts and Sciences - University of Florida

Gainesville, FL •

University of Florida •

• • Rating 4 out of 5   1 review

Master's Student: Overall, the University of Florida seems to be a great school as far as rankings and attendance rates go. Despite the political turmoil going on in the state of Florida, there seems to be a relatively strong student body of undergraduate students. Graduate students, however, are less cohesive. Likely due to politics, our graduate student union is in jeopardy, and it is so difficult to get the union membership to 60%. In the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Law, we have a very low union membership status, which is somewhat ironic considering the nature of our disciplines. The demands of balancing an assistantship and academic career are exhausting, and even more so with limited resources (financial, emotional, etc.). The faculty turnover in the dept. is also insane, likely due to the political situation that seems to be driving out all faculty members of color. Lastly, financial support is incredibly limited. All things aside, the education that I am receiving is appropriate. ... Read 1 review

Blue checkmark.

University of Florida ,

GAINESVILLE, FL ,

1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says Overall, the University of Florida seems to be a great school as far as rankings and attendance rates go. Despite the political turmoil going on in the state of Florida, there seems to be a... .

Read 1 reviews.

College of the Liberal Arts - Penn State

University Park, PA •

Penn State •

Penn State ,

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA ,

Mississippi State University

Graduate School •

MISSISSIPPI STATE, MS

• • Rating 4.51 out of 5   49

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

INDIANA, PA

• • Rating 4.32 out of 5   56

College of Health and Human Services - IUP

Indiana University of Pennsylvania •

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences - University of Maryland

College Park, MD •

University of Maryland - College Park •

University of Maryland - College Park ,

COLLEGE PARK, MD ,

School of Social Ecology - University of California - Irvine

Irvine, CA •

University of California - Irvine •

• • Rating 4.33 out of 5   3 reviews

Master's Student: enrolled as a student within the MAS Criminology program online. It was over all a great experience and as a full time employee, the program fit well with work schedules. I eventually got married and had my first child during the time I was studying within the program and being online I did not have to worry about missing so much class time. ... Read 3 reviews

University of California - Irvine ,

IRVINE, CA ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says enrolled as a student within the MAS Criminology program online. It was over all a great experience and as a full time employee, the program fit well with work schedules. I eventually got married and... .

Read 3 reviews.

College of Arts and Sciences - University of Delaware

Newark, DE •

University of Delaware •

• • Rating 3 out of 5   1 review

University of Delaware ,

NEWARK, DE ,

1 Niche users give it an average review of 3 stars.

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University of South Florida College of Behavioral and Community Sciences

Tampa, FL •

University of South Florida •

• • Rating 4.64 out of 5   11 reviews

Alum: I earned my Early Childhood Education degree from USF in 2002. I was enrolled in an education program with a cohort, full-time. The professors were knowledgeable and caring, and my classmates were amazing human beings. My internships provided me with the knowledge and experience needed to become a successful classroom teacher. I am returning now to earn a Master of Social Work to become a trauma therapist. I will begin online in January 2023. Proud to be a USF Bull! ... Read 11 reviews

University of South Florida ,

TAMPA, FL ,

11 Niche users give it an average review of 4.6 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says I earned my Early Childhood Education degree from USF in 2002. I was enrolled in an education program with a cohort, full-time. The professors were knowledgeable and caring, and my classmates were... .

Read 11 reviews.

College of Arts and Sciences - University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC •

University of South Carolina •

• • Rating 4.5 out of 5   2 reviews

Current Master's student: My academic program has given me many opportunities to become a social worker post-graduation. The College of Social Work is great. ... Read 2 reviews

University of South Carolina ,

COLUMBIA, SC ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars.

Featured Review: Current Master's student says My academic program has given me many opportunities to become a social worker post-graduation. The College of Social Work is great. .

Read 2 reviews.

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences - University of Texas - Dallas

Richardson, TX •

University of Texas - Dallas •

University of Texas - Dallas ,

RICHARDSON, TX ,

Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Phoenix, AZ •

Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix Campus •

• • Rating 4.88 out of 5   8 reviews

Doctoral Student: I just finished my first semester here. The teachers are great, very experienced and energetic. Classmates are super nice and friendly. The staffs are very helpful and professional. I really love this school! ... Read 8 reviews

Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix Campus ,

PHOENIX, AZ ,

8 Niche users give it an average review of 4.9 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I just finished my first semester here. The teachers are great, very experienced and energetic. Classmates are super nice and friendly. The staffs are very helpful and professional. I really love... .

Read 8 reviews.

College of Arts and Sciences - University of Missouri - St. Louis

St Louis, MO •

University of Missouri - St. Louis •

University of Missouri - St. Louis ,

ST LOUIS, MO ,

College of Arts and Letters - Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA •

Old Dominion University •

Old Dominion University ,

NORFOLK, VA ,

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• Masters in Criminal Justice and Corrections Programs
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College of Liberal Arts - Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, IL •

Southern Illinois University Carbondale •

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ,

CARBONDALE, IL ,

Indiana, PA •

Indiana University of Pennsylvania ,

INDIANA, PA ,

Showing results 1 through 14 of 14

University of South Florida

Department of Criminology

College of Behavioral and Community Sciences

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Department of criminology ranked #10 by center for world university rankings.

Criminology ranked 10th by the Center for World University Rankings that measures the quality of education and training of students as well as the prestige of the faculty members and the quality of their research.

Click link for more information: CWUR - Rankings by Subject, 2017

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USF Department of Criminology Ranks Top 5 Program in Faculty Article Publication

An important component of the quality of a graduate program is the publication productivity of its faculty. However, previous reviews of graduate programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) have failed to consider the breadth of publications in journals outside of CCJ. This has changed with the recent review conducted by Kleck and Mims (2016), who assessed the journal publication productivity of the faculty of all 40 CCJ PhD-granting programs in the United States using both CCJ journals and journals in sociology and the social sciences.

The University of South Florida's Department of Criminology, housed in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, ranked in the top 10 most productive Departments across all 40 U.S.-based CCJ PhD-granting programs across a number of measures including: a total 'Credit/department' score, a 'Credit/faculty' score standardized to represent per faculty member productivity, a total 'Authorships/department' score, and a 'Authorships/faculty' score standardized to represent per faculty member productivity.

In the total 'Credit/department' score, USF's Department of Criminology ranked 8th of 40, up 3 positions from earlier 2005-2009 rankings. Only Sam Houston, Florida State University (FSU), Cincinnati, Arizona State, Texas-Dallas, Rutgers, and Michigan State ranked above USF in the total credit/department score. In the 'Credit/faculty' score, USF ranked 2nd out of 40, indicating that once faculty productivity was standardized as productivity per faculty member that USF ranked 2nd place overall. The top 5 in this ranking category were Texas-Dallas, USF, FSU, Penn State, and the University of Florida (UF).

In the total number of authorships, USF ranked 5th out of 40; however, when looking at authorships standardized as per faculty member productivity, USF again ranked 2nd out of 40 (the top 5 were Texas-Dallas, USF , FSU, UF, and Penn State).

If we created a composite measure of these rankings [1] , the USF Department of Criminology would rank in the top 5 of the 40 national doctoral-granting CCJ programs examined by Kleck and Mims. Equally as impressive is that once faculty productivity was standardized as productivity per faculty member (e.g., removing the bias for departments with a greater number of faculty members to generate a larger amount of publications and authorships) that USF's CCJ Department clearly secured the #2 ranking. These numbers clearly show that the CCJ faculty in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida are among the most productive of the CCJ faculty in the nation when it comes to publications in CCJ and related social science journals. For more about the Department of Criminology, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida, see its website at http://www.usf.edu/cbcs/criminology/ .

CITATION: Kleck, G., & Mims, B. (2016). Article productivity among the faculty of Criminology and Criminal Justice doctoral programs, 2010–2014. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/10511253.2016.1146008. The Department of Criminology in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida was established in 1972. In 1998, it became the second Department in the State of Florida to offer the Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Established in 2008, the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences serves more than 2,600 students with six undergraduate, nine masters, and five doctoral programs housed in six academic departments/schools. The College also is the home of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, one of the largest behavioral health research and training institutes in the country, as well as 17 specialized Research Centers and Institutes. Serving nearly 48,000 students, the University of South Florida is one of the largest public universities in the nation, and among the top 50 universities, public or private, for federal research expenditures. It is one of only four Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities, a distinction attained by only 2.3 percent of all universities ________________________________________ [1] Overall Mean Ranking across these 4 metrics= 4.25 {(8+2+5+2)/4}

USA Today ranks Department of Criminology Undergraduate Program in Top 10 List

'The University of South Florida is a public university that was established in 1956. The undergraduate program in criminology at USF is designed to provide a solid foundation for students who plan to immediately join the workforce after obtaining their degrees or who wish to continue on to graduate studies. The strong curriculum offered by the Department of Criminology provides students with the opportunity to explore a variety of topics, including law enforcement, the judiciary and corrections. Criminology majors are encouraged to view each subject from multiple perspectives so as to better understand the mindsets of both the criminal justice professional and the offender as well as society as a whole.'

CLICK LINK FOR FULL ARTICLE: The 10 best U.S. colleges for a major in criminology

ASU criminology, criminal justice PhD program marks 15 years

Grads of highly ranked program, ‘a recognized worldwide leader,’ hold prestigious faculty, agency positions.

ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Director Beth Huebner speaks at the Watts College of Public Service spring 2023 convocation in May. The school's PhD program is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Photo by Mark J. Scarp/ASU

Raven Simonds had earned two degrees at Arizona State University — so when the time came for her to choose where to study for her doctorate, she chose not to turn in her Sun Card.

Last year, Simonds earned her PhD in criminology and criminal justice from the highly respected and honored doctoral program at ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice , which in 2023 is celebrating 15 years of excellence, inclusion and service preparing future educators, researchers and leaders in the public and private sectors.

“I did both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees (in criminology and criminal justice) at ASU, so I had some pre-existing experience with the program overall. But I would say both the depth and breadth of faculty expertise at ASU made the doctoral program attractive,” said Simonds, who today is a senior research analyst at New York City’s Criminal Justice Agency.

“The faculty at ASU lead the field in their respective research interests, and it was so exciting to be a part of that as a doctoral student,” Simonds said. “This also led to a type of thought diversity between students, as many of us in the same cohort, for example, had different interests.”

The school marks this 15th anniversary from ASU’s No. 2 position in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 ranking of criminology graduate schools, ahead of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Florida and Michigan State University. School leaders, past and present, are proud of the program’s growth and its commitment to inclusion.

Melinda Tasca is a first-generation college graduate who said the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice faculty’s caliber and the high-impact work they were engaged in attracted her to the program.

“Training and mentorship went beyond the basics and exposed students to unique opportunities,” said Tasca, a 2014 graduate of the program who today is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at El Paso.

“For example, I was able to work on externally funded projects led by my mentor and in collaboration with criminal justice agencies that allowed me to develop a broad range of skills early on,” Tasca said. Her training included posing and framing broad research questions, engaging in grant writing, executing projects and developing surveys. She also conducted research in challenging environments and worked with agency partners.

D’Andre Walker, a first-generation college student, received his PhD from ASU in 2018. He earned his master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice at ASU after receiving the Reach for the Stars Fellowship in 2012. Walker now is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies at the University of Mississippi.

“Despite being accepted into other PhD programs across the country, I decided to stay at ASU, because of the great mentorship and solid network that I worked hard to build, ... the diverse courses offered, willingness of faculty to work with students — even if they were not officially assigned to them as a graduate or research assistant — and the presence of faculty around the office,” Walker said.

Today, the program continues to help students develop many cutting-edge skills, said Stacia Stolzenberg , a School of Criminology and Criminal Justice associate professor who directs the doctoral and in-person master’s degree programs in the school.

Criminal justice is an exciting place to be, she said. While the field is community-based in nature, “one thing our faculty is great at is being embedded in the communities they care about.”

In addition, ASU’s program excels at developing and maintaining strong relationships with community partners, Stolzenberg said.

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Director Beth Huebner , Watts Endowed Professor of Public Safety, said ASU’s PhD program is respected throughout the country for numerous reasons and she continues to be excited about welcoming new scholars.

“The PhD is the highest degree that a student can earn in the field. All of our PhD students have dedicated more than four years to conducting original research that impacts policy and practice in criminology and criminal justice,” Huebner said. “The PhD program in criminology and criminal justice at ASU has quickly emerged as one of the leading institutions in our field, and it is one of the largest and most diverse groups. Our graduates have gone on to lead other top programs and to work for research firms and local governments that are transforming the system.”

Scott Decker , Foundation Professor emeritus of criminology and criminal justice, served as the school's director from 2006 to 2014 and was instrumental in creating the PhD program, which debuted in 2008 and has graduated 64 doctoral students since its inception.

“These students hold faculty jobs at some of the most prestigious universities in the field; others work directly with criminal justice agencies to promote public safety. Other graduates conduct research that improves the quality of justice and community safety,” Decker said.

Decker credits Regents Professor Cassia Spohn , a faculty member who followed him as school director, for getting the program off the ground. Spohn was director of graduate programs as the PhD program formed.

The school, a recognized global leader, has a highly awarded and respected faculty that “has developed a culture of excellence in its teaching, research and service” within a dynamic environment, Decker said.

“The school works to improve the quality of justice in Arizona, the nation and on an international basis,” he said.

Simonds, Tasca and Walker talked about what the program has meant to their careers.

Editor's note: Answers may have been edited for length and clarity.

Question: What did you learn during your time at ASU that changed your perspective?

Walker : As a first-generation African American college student, I did not know what to expect of my graduate career at ASU. Prior to coming to ASU, I did not see the true value in research. However, as a graduate student, I was around some of the best professors and students in the country. ... Being in the classroom with these individuals and listening to their stories has influenced my perspective on research. More specifically, I realized the importance of not only researching topics that I am interested in, but also the impact that my research findings have on society through policy and practice.

Q: How has your career benefited from having earned your PhD at ASU?

Tasca: My doctoral training at ASU provided both breadth and depth in terms of substantive and methodological training, which established a solid foundation to launch my career. In addition, my time at ASU prepared me for the competing demands of a tenure-track career and introduced me to the ins and outs of the research enterprise. I am also grateful for having been exposed to a variety of professional networking opportunities and for the well-rounded mentorship I received. As a first-generation college student, this level of investment in my professional development benefited me greatly.

Q: Describe an important aspect of your current research and questions you seek to answer.

Simonds: One exciting part of my current research is exploring the role of court date notifications on court appearances. Failing to appear in court can result in a variety of negative outcomes, one of which includes having a warrant issued for arrest. To this end, it is important to better understand what types of court date notifications work best. The New York City Criminal Justice Agency is such an exciting place to work because our outreach team notifies people of their upcoming court date, and we have the capacity to explore different types of notifications, as well as the content of such notifications, in real time.

Q: How has the criminology and criminal justice field changed most significantly since your time as a doctoral student? What might this year’s PhD graduates deal with that is different from what you encountered in your first few years?

Simonds: I think the use of artificial intelligence has significantly increased over the last few years. AI wasn’t even a part of my vocabulary, really, while I was in graduate school. ... I think we’ve already seen it begin to impact education and how we teach topics related to criminal justice, and we are learning to navigate that, as well as for the field more broadly.

Tasca: One change I have noticed in recent years is a greater openness to and interest in research careers outside of academia among criminologists. This seems to have coincided with an expansion of “industry” opportunities, such as working in a research division in a criminal justice agency or within a research organization. This shift offers PhD graduates a wide range of career options to consider.

Walker: Criminology and criminal justice is a very attractive discipline. I believe that the trajectory of the field is being influenced by current events (e.g., Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tyre Nichols, among others) as these stories have highlighted the need for and importance of research to identify and address challenges within criminal justice organizations. That said, I believe students will have more opportunities to work alongside practitioners to craft policies to address injustices across the criminal justice systems.  

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Criminology Ph.D. program ranked third in nation

The Ph.D. program in Criminology, Law and Society placed third in the nation in  U.S. News & World Report’s graduate school rankings – published online today. The doctorate program jumped to third overall in the current rankings. Previously, the program was ranked fifth.

Students in this interdisciplinary program study and do research under renowned faculty who probe the causes and consequences of crime, its impact on society, and its interplay with the law. Professors and students strive to do socially relevant research, and are committed to advancing equity and justice both locally and globally. The Department of Criminology, Law and Society, which offers the doctorate program, is the only criminology department, and one of only two law and society units, in the University of California system.

Additionally, in January, U.S. News rated the Master of Advanced Studies in criminology, law and society as the third best online master's program in criminal justice in the country.

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Criminology, PhD

Penn's highly interdisciplinary Ph.D. in criminology combines the traditional concerns of criminologists with concepts, theories, and empirical research from a wide variety of academic disciplines. The program seeks to produce scholars of unusual breadth who can work creatively in academic or policy settings.

Working closely with faculty, students are encouraged to design their own curriculum and begin research very early in their graduate education. That curriculum will include several core courses taken in the first and second year. These include two courses in criminological theory, two courses in criminal justice policy, and two semesters of graduate level statistics.

For more information: http://crim.sas.upenn.edu/graduate

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

A minimum of 9 course units are required. Additional courses may be selected in consultation with student faculty advisor and graduate group chair.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

A student who enters the Ph.D. program with a Bachelors degree will usually take 3 course units in each semester in their first two years and must complete all course requirements by the end of their third year.  All students must take 3 CUs in each semester to remain registered as full-time students.

After having completed the substantive, class-based course requirements, they normally fulfill remaining CUs by registering for CRIM 9999 Independent Study and Research .  They will also have passed the Candidacy Examination by the end of their second year. Students who enter with a Master's degree or other transfer credit may satisfy the formal course requirements more quickly. However, the Graduate Group Chair in conjunction with the student’s research supervisor has the flexibility to establish the optimal requirements for students. 

The customary maximum load for a Ph.D. student is four course units each semester; exceptions for a fifth course unit may be made in extraordinary cases upon approval of the Graduate Dean. The Graduate Group may establish examination requirements in addition to the University’s standards.

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Florida State University

FSU | College of Criminology & Criminal Justice

College of Criminology & Criminal Justice

• Graduate Programs

Doctoral Program

Considered the best doctoral program in the country as evidenced by multiple articles in The Journal of Criminal Justice Education, the FSU College of Criminology offers you the opportunity to be part of an intellectual community and learn from the most productive scholars in the country. The Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice trains students to conduct original research that generates new insights on issues of scientific and public policy importance. This degree emphasizes comprehensive training in theory, research methods, and statistics delivered by faculty members recently ranked as having the most productive criminology program in the country.

Click on the links below to learn more about our program.

• Ph.D. Admission Requirements
• Current Ph.D. Students
• Student Research
• Doctoral Degree Requirements
• Major Professor and Doctoral Dissertation Committee
• Professional Ethics
• Comprehensive Exam Requirements
• Dissertation and Admission to Candidacy

Related Downloads

• FAQs: Campus Graduate Program
• FSU IRB Policy Memo
• FSU IRB Human Subjects Committee Approval
• Declaration of Major Professor Form
• Prospectus Defense Approval Form
• Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form
• Graduate Assistant Evaluation Form
• Exit Survey
• 2015-2016 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• 2014-2015 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• 2013-2014 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• 2012-2013 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• 2011-2012 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• 2010-2011 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• 2016-2017 Criminology Graduate Handbook
• Annual Doctoral Review
• Doctoral Info Sheet
• 2018-2019 Grad Campus Handbook
• 2019-2020 Grad Campus Handbook
• 2020-2021 Campus Grad Handbook
• 2021-2022 Campus Grad Handbook
• 2022-2023 Campus Grad Handbook

Best Universities for Criminology and Criminal Justice in the World

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in the World ranked based on their research performance in Criminology and Criminal Justice. A graph of 6.22M citations received by 448K academic papers made by 1,307 universities in the World was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Cambridge

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

2. University of California - Berkeley

3. University of Toronto

4. University of Chicago

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6. University of Oxford

7. Pennsylvania State University

8. Harvard University

9. Yale University

10. Columbia University

11. Arizona State University - Tempe

12. University of Washington - Seattle

13. University of Maryland - College Park

14. Johns Hopkins University

15. University of Cincinnati

16. Michigan State University

17. University of Pennsylvania

18. University College London

19. University of New South Wales

20. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

21. New York University

22. University of California - Los Angeles

23. CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

24. Ohio State University

25. Florida State University

26. London School of Economics and Political Science

27. SUNY at Albany

28. Simon Fraser University

29. University of California - Irvine

30. King's College London

31. University of Texas at Austin

32. Monash University

33. University of Melbourne

34. University of British Columbia

35. University of South Florida

36. University of Sydney

37. University of Pittsburgh

38. George Mason University

39. Stanford University

40. Griffith University

41. Australian National University

42. Temple University

43. University of Arizona

44. University of Virginia

45. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

46. University of Wisconsin - Madison

47. University of Southern California

48. University of Illinois at Chicago

49. University of Edinburgh

50. University of Montreal

51. Carleton University

52. Emory University

53. University of Manchester

54. University of Queensland

55. Cornell University

56. University of Florida

57. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

58. Georgia State University

59. University of Birmingham

60. University of Nottingham

61. Indiana University - Bloomington

62. Duke University

63. University of Ottawa

64. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

65. Washington University in St Louis

66. University of Kent

67. George Washington University

68. University of Amsterdam

69. University of Missouri - St Louis

70. University of Sheffield

71. University of Liverpool

72. University of Kentucky

73. University of Leicester

74. Iowa State University

75. University of Miami

76. Sam Houston State University

77. Georgetown University

78. Queen's University

79. Vanderbilt University

80. University of Warwick

81. University of California - San Francisco

82. Northeastern University

83. University of Leeds

84. American University in Washington

85. Princeton University

86. University of South Carolina - Columbia

87. University of Delaware

88. Loyola University Chicago

89. University of California - Davis

90. Boston University

91. Hebrew University of Jerusalem

92. York University

93. Utrecht University

94. Leiden University

95. Albany State University

96. University of Bristol

97. University of Glasgow

98. Wayne State University

99. Deakin University

100. University at Buffalo

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in the World

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Ranked #1 Graduate Program in Criminology

It is our pleasure to report that the graduate program in Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland - College Park is ranked #1 in the US News and World Report Rankings for the 2019 academic year. 

Congratulations to the department for all of your continued efforts to uphold our graduate program's standard of excellence!

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Best UK universities for criminology – league table

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UK universities ranked by subject area: criminology