The median ranked bachelor’s program in Massachusetts charges a resident $39,794 a year, $25,610 above the $14,184 median for ranked bachelor’s programs nationally. On this ranking of criminal justice schools in Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts-Lowell is first for a bachelor’s degree. A resident pays $16,570 a year in tuition and fees, and 172 students earned the degree in 2023-24. Across three levels, Massachusetts has 50 ranked programs, split 15 associate’s, 22 bachelor’s and 13 master’s.
Best Criminal Justice Schools in Massachusetts for a Bachelor’s Degree
The bachelor’s programs in Massachusetts are measured against every ranked bachelor’s program in the country: cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%). Each score is the program’s national score on the price a resident pays, so it matches the program’s score on the national list. Read how programs are ranked. The first 5 have cards below, and 17 more follow in a table.
UMass Lowell offers its criminal justice bachelor's on campus and entirely online, with options in policing, corrections, homeland security and crime and mental health, plus a paralegal option that runs online only.
Westfield State's Criminal Justice, B.S. is offered on campus or online, and Massachusetts community college graduates can complete it entirely online through the university's degree completion program.
The degree is offered on campus or online
The major consists of 42 credits
Concentrations in Criminology, Law Enforcement and Homeland Security, and Rehabilitation and Restoration
Worcester State's criminal justice major builds its core around law enforcement, courts and corrections, offers core courses in the evening and uses mock investigations, trials and junior-year internships.
120 credits
At least 22 criminal justice credits are completed at Worcester State
Core courses are offered in the evening, not online
Majors can apply for internships in the junior year
Read more
Worcester State's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice is a 120-credit program. Its criminal justice core includes Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Corrections, Law Enforcement and Society, Theories of Crime, Introduction to Research in Criminal Justice, American Judicial System, Criminal Law and a capstone, and students add 18 credits of criminal justice electives, with at least 22 criminal justice credits completed at Worcester State. Core courses are not offered online but run in the evening, while electives are offered in the evening and online during the academic year and in summer sessions.
The program admits first-year and transfer students, and those entering with 45 or fewer credits must complete a second major or a minor to graduate. Majors can apply for an internship in their junior year, with placements at district courts, correctional facilities, law enforcement agencies and social service agencies. Worcester State also has an affiliation agreement with Bridgewater State University that reserves seats in its Master of Science in Criminal Justice program for Worcester State graduates.
Bridgewater State's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice can be taken on the main campus during the day, or at night or online, with the same requirements and curriculum in each format.
Day, night and online formats
A victimology concentration is available
Night and online versions follow the same curriculum as the day program
A 3+3 path with UMass Law leads to a JD
$527.75 a credit, online rate
Read more
Bridgewater State University offers the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, a version of the degree with a victimology concentration, and a criminal justice minor. The degree may be taken on the main campus during the day, or at night or online, and the university says the night and online versions follow the same requirements and curriculum as the day program. Behind the Walls, a selective program for juniors and seniors, lets students take a class inside a local prison with incarcerated students.
Students apply to the night and online versions through the College of Continuing Studies, which accepts applications at any time of year and takes up to 69 credits from a two-year institution and up to 90 credits from a four-year institution. A 3+3 program with UMass Law lets students finish the bachelor's degree and a JD in six years instead of the usual seven.
Fitchburg State says its Police Program (4+1) Concentration lets criminal justice majors earn the bachelor's degree, an MPTC full-time municipal police certification and a master's degree in criminal justice in five years.
The major is an on-campus day program
Police Program (4+1) Concentration
Senior-year internship option, including the Washington Center in Washington, D.C.
Fitchburg State says the program is PCIPP approved
Read more
The Criminal Justice, BS leads to a BSCJ degree that covers the nature and functioning of police, courts and corrections, why people commit crime and how to prevent it, and current issues such as criminal justice reform. Electives span topics such as juvenile justice, white-collar crime, gangs, hate crime, domestic terrorism and ethics, and options include a senior-year internship, Moot Court, the Honors Program, study abroad and an internship with the Washington Center in Washington, D.C. Fitchburg State lists the major as an on-campus day program in its Behavioral Sciences Department in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
First-year applicants submit an official high school transcript, and standardized test scores are optional. Fitchburg State says the program is PCIPP approved, and students interested in law school can look at the 3+3 program with UMass Dartmouth Law School. In the Police Program concentration, about one-quarter of the MPTC recruit curriculum is embedded in undergraduate coursework taught by MPTC-certified instructors, and the academy is worth 12 credits toward the master's degree.
fitchburgstate.edu
Bachelor’s Programs Ranked 6-22 in Massachusetts
Bachelor’s programs in criminal justice ranked 6 to 22 in Massachusetts
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
6
Salem State University Salem, MA
$11,978
66%
80
66.2
7
University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston, MA
$15,495
56%
127
61.6
8
Northeastern University Boston, MA
$63,141
90%
72
58.3
9
Merrimack College North Andover, MA
$51,786
75%
61
58.2
10
Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education Springfield, MA
$19,152
58%
8
56.1
11
Curry College Milton, MA
$45,820
69%
45
54.6
12
Nichols College Dudley, MA
$40,375
69%
24
52.2
13
Fisher College Boston, MA
$35,013
45%
21
49.1
14
Anna Maria College Paxton, MA
$43,064
57%
34
48.4
15
Endicott College Beverly, MA
$39,212
75%
34
48.0
16
College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, MA
$42,061
80%
8
42.9
17
Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA
$37,227
60%
9
42.3
18
Suffolk University Boston, MA
$45,380
66%
38
40.8
19
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
$67,680
83%
6
40.1
20
Springfield College Springfield, MA
$43,707
69%
16
40.0
21
Western New England University Springfield, MA
$46,430
53%
30
34.0
22
American International College Springfield, MA
$42,970
44%
20
19.7
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Associate Degree Programs in Massachusetts
15 associate’s programs rank at criminal justice schools in Massachusetts for a two-year degree. At $5,688 a year for residents, the median associate’s program is $835 above the national median of $4,853. The top program is Massasoit Community College, with 38 associate degrees conferred in 2023-24. Completion runs lower at two-year schools because many students transfer or study part time, so associate’s programs are scored only against other associate’s programs. The first 3 have cards, and 12 more follow in a table.
Massasoit Community College's Criminal Justice - Transfer associate degree is built to carry students into a bachelor's program in criminal justice, and it runs in day, evening and online formats.
A minimum of 62 credits
Day, evening and online options
Massasoit says the program is PCIPP approved
Every student completes the Criminal Justice Capstone before graduation
Read more
The Criminal Justice - Transfer program is an Associate in Science degree that requires a minimum of 62 credits, with approximately one-half of the work in liberal arts and social science courses such as psychology, sociology and English and the other half in criminal justice. The academic map includes Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Corrections, and Police, Community, and Society, and every student completes the Criminal Justice Capstone before graduation. Massasoit offers the degree in day, evening and online options, and the map says all core classes are offered online as well as face to face.
Massasoit admits students with a high school diploma or equivalent under an open enrollment policy. The program is intended for students who plan to continue to a bachelor's degree at a four-year college or university, including through MassTransfer with Massachusetts state colleges and universities, and Massasoit says it is Police Career Incentive Pay Program (PCIPP) approved. Students may also be able to earn a certificate alongside the associate degree by choosing their classes carefully.
massasoit.edu
261.0
Criminal Justice Degree - Law Enforcement Concentration
Mount Wachusett Community College's Criminal Justice A.S. comes as a Law Enforcement Concentration that emphasizes areas such as community policing, investigation, criminalistics and the administration of justice, or as a Transfer Track developed in conjunction with state Board of Higher Education initiatives to align the transferability of credits earned at MWCC.
The Law Enforcement Concentration totals 60-61 credits
The Transfer Track totals 61-62 credits
Every credit of the 27-credit Law Enforcement Certificate can be applied to the associate degree
Admission requires a high school diploma or a HiSET/GED
Read more
Both tracks of the associate degree run the same criminal justice sequence: Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Criminology, Criminal Investigation, Effective Written Communication for the CJ Practitioner, American Policing, Seminar in Criminal Justice and Introduction to Corrections. The Law Enforcement Concentration (60-61 credits) adds restrictive electives such as Introduction to Criminalistics, Critical Incident Stress & Trauma Yoga, Psychology in the Criminal Justice System and an Internship in Criminal Justice, while the Transfer Track (61-62 credits) requires Statistics and includes humanities and lab science electives. The 27-credit Law Enforcement Certificate, developed in cooperation with the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, pairs criminal justice courses such as Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and American Policing with College Writing I, Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Psychology, and all of its credits can be applied to the associate degree.
Admission to the college requires a high school diploma or a HiSET/GED. The tracks treat prior learning differently: students in the Law Enforcement Concentration are not eligible for life experience, police academy, armed services or Tech Prep credits and are limited to six credits of CLEP, DSST and challenge exams, and its transfer students must complete at least three of their required criminal justice courses (nine credits) at MWCC, while Transfer Track students may be eligible for those credits. Transfer Track students heading to a Massachusetts state university or a University of Massachusetts campus may be eligible for the MassTransfer agreement, and internships can require immunizations, a CORI/SORI records check, fingerprinting and drug testing.
Bristol Community College offers its criminal justice associate degree as a Career program and a Transfer program, each an Associate in Science, with all criminal justice courses available at its Fall River, MA, New Bedford, MA and Attleboro, MA campuses.
Career and Transfer options, each an Associate in Science
Bristol participates in the statewide MassTransfer program
Courses run at the Fall River, MA, New Bedford, MA and Attleboro, MA campuses
Applicants need a high school diploma, an equivalency certificate or a college degree
All courses in the 27-credit Law Enforcement Certificate apply to the degrees
Read more
Both are Associate in Science degrees that give students a strong foundation in the operation of the criminal justice system: the Criminal Justice Career program totals 60-62 credits, and the Criminal Justice Transfer program totals 61-63 credits, with an interdisciplinary education that the catalog says will allow students to pursue a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice at a four-year institution. The catalog says all courses in the program may be completed at the Fall River, MA, New Bedford, MA and Attleboro, MA campuses, with many also offered at the Taunton, MA center. The 27-credit Law Enforcement Certificate of Achievement combines specialized criminal justice and general education coursework, develops career-specific knowledge of law and criminal procedure, and all of its courses apply to the Associate in Science criminal justice degrees.
Bristol has an open enrollment policy in keeping with the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education's Open Door philosophy, and applicants to an associate degree or certificate program need a high school diploma, a state-approved high school equivalency certificate or a college degree. Academic and transfer advisors help students choose courses for a smooth transfer to four-year colleges and universities, and Bristol participates in the statewide MassTransfer program. The Law Enforcement Certificate awards no academic credit for life experience, academy, military or other training.
catalog.bristolcc.edu
Associate Programs Ranked 4-15 in Massachusetts
Associate degree programs in criminal justice ranked 4 to 15 in Massachusetts
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
4
Springfield Technical Community College Springfield, MA
$5,520
52%
36
58.4
5
Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable, MA
$5,712
33%
16
53.2
6
Bunker Hill Community College Boston, MA
$5,520
22%
49
53.0
7
North Shore Community College Danvers, MA
$5,352
34%
20
51.7
8
Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills, MA
$5,616
40%
20
50.5
9
Quinsigamond Community College Worcester, MA
$5,974
42%
32
50.4
10
Roxbury Community College Roxbury Crossing, MA
$6,096
59%
13
50.4
11
Middlesex Community College Bedford, MA
$6,098
26%
25
50.2
12
Northern Essex Community College Haverhill, MA
$5,688
27%
21
43.9
13
Quincy College Quincy, MA
$7,536
28%
18
43.5
14
Holyoke Community College Holyoke, MA
$5,810
31%
28
43.2
15
Berkshire Community College Pittsfield, MA
$5,612
37%
9
41.7
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Criminal Justice Master’s Programs in Massachusetts
You can compare 13 ranked master’s programs at criminal justice schools in Massachusetts, led by University of Massachusetts-Lowell at $16,050 a year in graduate tuition and fees for a resident. The score weighs cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%). Graduate tuition and fees for a resident have a median of $16,050 a year, $4,617 above the national median of $11,433 for ranked master’s programs, and run from $6,246 to $64,712.
Master’s programs in criminal justice ranked in Massachusetts
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
1
University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA
$16,050
62%
78
71.8
2
Salem State University Salem, MA
$9,088
66%
9
65.1
3
Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
$6,246
54%
31
63.0
4
Northeastern University Boston, MA
$28,100
90%
64
57.4
5
Boston University Boston, MA
$64,712
69%
99
55.0
6
Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
$9,041
59%
8
54.6
7
Curry College Milton, MA
$17,514
69%
7
54.2
8
Merrimack College North Andover, MA
$35,500
75%
38
51.3
9
Westfield State University Westfield, MA
$8,262
63%
25
48.5
10
Anna Maria College Paxton, MA
$12,203
57%
40
48.3
11
American International College Springfield, MA
$10,983
44%
9
38.5
12
Suffolk University Boston, MA
$36,336
66%
16
29.3
13
Fisher College Boston, MA
$27,442
45%
10
21.9
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Online Criminal Justice Programs in Massachusetts
Online programs at criminal justice schools in Massachusetts reach the national online lists 11 times, from 8 schools (2 at the associate’s level, 4 at the bachelor’s level and 5 at the master’s level). Those lists score what an online student from another state pays for a credit, so the prices below are not the in-state prices above. At the bachelor’s level, University of Massachusetts-Lowell is second among 187 ranked online bachelor’s programs, the best placed of the 4 online bachelor’s programs at schools in Massachusetts.
Online criminal justice programs from schools in Massachusetts, by place on the national online lists
Cost per credit is the rate the school’s page publishes, read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026, or else its 2023-24 IPEDS per-credit charge.
What Criminal Justice Degrees Cost in Massachusetts
Your price depends on the school: $11,046 a year at Fitchburg State University, $67,680 at Boston College, both in tuition and required fees for a bachelor’s degree. Set against the $14,184 national median for ranked bachelor’s programs, the median in Massachusetts, $39,794, is $25,610 above.
Ranked criminal justice programs in Massachusetts: tuition and graduation rate by level
Level
Ranked programs
Median tuition and fees, a year
Lowest to highest
Median graduation rate
Bachelor’s programs
22
$39,794
$11,046 to $67,680
57%
Associate’s programs
15
$5,688
$5,352 to $7,536
21%
Master’s programs
13
$16,050
$6,246 to $64,712
Median bachelor’s tuition runs $11,882 at public colleges and $43,064 at private nonprofit colleges.
Roxbury Community College charges residents of its own district $5,784 a year, $312 less than the $6,096 other residents of Massachusetts pay.
A student from another state pays $35,396 a year at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, $18,826 above the resident price.
Prices are 2023-24 tuition and required fees for a full-time year, as each school reported them to IPEDS, before books, housing or financial aid.
What Massachusetts Requires to Become a Police Officer
The Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) sets the education minimum for police officers in Massachusetts. Massachusetts requires a completed high school education or the equivalent.
“Successfully completed a high school education or equivalent”
Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC), Municipal Police Training Committee academy eligibility requirements, read October 7, 2026: mass.gov
The state minimum doesn’t call for a degree. Individual departments choose their own standards, and BLS reports that the education police departments require ranges from a high school diploma to a college degree. A degree is not a peace officer license: certification comes from completing a police academy and meeting the standards that apply to the agency.
Criminal Justice Jobs and Pay in Massachusetts
The median patrol officer (SOC 33-3051) in Massachusetts makes $78,940 a year; nationally the median is $76,210, so the state sits $2,730 above it. That is the 15th highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports, and 17,040 people hold the job. The lowest-paid tenth earn $61,160 or less, and the highest-paid tenth earn $108,150 or more.
Of the four jobs, detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021) earn the most in Massachusetts, at a median $110,150, and patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) the least, at $78,940. Massachusetts pays above the national median for all of them; the widest gap is for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists (SOC 21-1092), $28,320 above the national median of $66,270.
Median annual pay for four criminal justice jobs in Massachusetts and nationally, May 2025
Questions About Criminal Justice Degrees in Massachusetts
What Are the Best Criminal Justice Schools in Massachusetts?
For a bachelor’s degree, University of Massachusetts-Lowell comes first, followed by Westfield State University and Worcester State University, among 22 ranked bachelor’s programs in Massachusetts. For an associate degree, Massasoit Community College leads 15 ranked associate’s programs in Massachusetts. For a master’s degree, University of Massachusetts-Lowell leads 13 ranked master’s programs in Massachusetts. Each list is the national ranking at its level kept to the state’s programs, scored on cost, graduate earnings, completion, online experience, track record and program reputation, with the cost at the in-state rate.
How Much Does a Criminal Justice Degree Cost in Massachusetts?
For a full-time year of tuition and required fees in 2023-24, a resident’s median at criminal justice schools in Massachusetts is $5,688 at the associate’s programs ($5,352 to $7,536), $39,794 at the bachelor’s programs ($11,046 to $67,680) and $16,050 at the master’s programs ($6,246 to $64,712). The national median for a ranked bachelor’s program is $14,184. Residents of a college’s own district pay less at 1 college, by as much as $312 a year.
What Does Massachusetts Require of New Police Officers?
A degree is not part of the minimum the rule sets. Massachusetts requires a completed high school education or the equivalent. A degree is not a peace officer license, and departments can ask for more than the minimum. 44 of 47 state and district rules set a diploma or GED minimum, and the full state-by-state comparison shows which ask for more.
What Do Police Officers Earn in Massachusetts?
Police patrol work (SOC 33-3051) pays a median $78,940 a year in Massachusetts, $2,730 above the national median of $76,210, by BLS’s May 2025 count. Elsewhere in the field, detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021) earn $110,150 and correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012) $86,310.
Can You Earn a Criminal Justice Degree Online From a School in Massachusetts?
Yes. 11 programs at 8 schools in Massachusetts rank on the national online lists, and the online table above shows the highest-placed programs at each level with the price an online student from another state pays.
Other Criminal Justice Schools in Massachusetts
5 more criminal justice schools in Massachusetts conferred criminal justice degrees in 2023-24. Each is listed with what it confers and its federal tuition and graduation rate, starting with the school that conferred the most degrees. The most common level here is the associate’s, conferred by 2. A program needs at least five graduates at its level in 2023-24 to be ranked, so a small program appears with its figures and no score. Graduation rates appear for the schools with undergraduate criminal justice degrees, because the federal rate describes undergraduates.
Other schools in Massachusetts with criminal justice degrees, by degrees conferred
School
Type
Degrees conferred, 2023-24
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Graduation rate
Cambridge College Boston, MA
Private nonprofit
Bachelor’s 3
$18,072
13%
Regis College Weston, MA
Private nonprofit
Bachelor’s 3
$47,770
69%
Dean College Franklin, MA
Private nonprofit
Associate’s 2
$44,960
43%
Greenfield Community College Greenfield, MA
Public
Associate’s 2
$5,810
22%
Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA
Private nonprofit
Master’s 1
$48,899
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
More State Pages to Compare With Massachusetts
These state pages come next: the first two share the Northeast with Massachusetts, and each tile carries one figure from its state.
Sources for the Massachusetts Figures
Awards, charges, completion and online enrollment: the Department of Education's IPEDS data:
IPEDS completions and distance education, 2023-24; IPEDS tuition and fees and per-credit charges, 2023-24; IPEDS
graduation rates; and IPEDS Outcome Measures and fall 2024 enrollment, from the 2024 provisional release.
Programs are counted under the criminal justice codes in the federal CIP 43.01 series.
Graduate earnings: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard,
field-of-study data for Criminal Justice and Corrections (CIP 43.01). Earnings are College Scorecard's median for the school's criminal justice and corrections graduates (federal field 43.01) at the level who received federal aid, four years after finishing, or one year after where that is the only figure Scorecard publishes. Scorecard reports a median only where enough graduates can be counted, and it covers every program the school reports in that field.
Program names, credit counts, formats, entry requirements and published prices: each school's own program pages, read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
