Minnesota requires a postsecondary degree from a regionally accredited college or university, plus a board-approved peace officer education program. For a bachelor’s degree, start with Metropolitan State University, first of the criminal justice schools in Minnesota, which conferred 59 degrees in 2023-24; its criminal justice graduates earn a median $64,481 four years after finishing. Across three levels, Minnesota has 32 ranked programs, split 17 associate’s, 13 bachelor’s and 2 master’s.
Best Criminal Justice Schools in Minnesota for a Bachelor’s Degree
You’re comparing 13 ranked bachelor’s programs in Minnesota. Each is scored on cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%), with the price at the in-state rate. 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. The methodology page explains each factor. The first 5 have cards below, and 8 more follow in a table.
Metro State's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers a Criminal Justice BA, a Criminal Justice BA with Police Studies Certificate for students who want to become license-eligible peace officers in Minnesota, and a Police Science BS designed for current peace officers or license-eligible students who already hold an associate's degree.
Every Metro State bachelor's degree requires 120 total credits
The Criminal Justice BA requires 55 major credits
Admission to the Police Studies Certificate track is by application only
The Police Science BS is for students who already hold an associate's degree in law enforcement (or equivalent) or are licensed or license-eligible peace officers
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The Criminal Justice BA requires 55 major credits within the 120 total credits every Metro State bachelor's degree requires, starting with Introduction to Criminal Justice and Foundations in Criminal Justice and continuing through Constitutional Law, Corrections and Community Corrections, The Criminal Court System, Policing and Society, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Criminology and Public Policy, Diversity in Criminal Justice, and Ethics and Professionalism in Criminal Justice. Students finish with either a capstone internship of at least 160 hours at a field site or a capstone research project, and 24 major credits must be taken at Metro State.
Students declare the major after completing 30 credits, the writing requirements, a cumulative Metro State GPA of 2.25 and a pre-major advising workshop. The Criminal Justice BA with Police Studies Certificate is a Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) program for students who wish to become license-eligible in Minnesota; admission is by application only, and the standards include a psychological evaluation, a criminal history screening, and a medical screening and physical fitness test. Its skills coursework is taken at Hennepin Technical College, typically during the summer, with the credits transferred to Metro State, and it requires a separate application to Hennepin Technical College and a skills program application. The Police Science BS is designed for current peace officers or license-eligible students who already hold an associate's degree, Metro State says students are eligible if they hold an associate's degree in law enforcement (or equivalent) and/or are licensed or license-eligible peace officers in Minnesota, and it describes the program's classes as online and hybrid. A 22-credit criminal justice minor is also offered.
Minnesota State University, Mankato's Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science is a 120-credit degree with emphases in criminal justice, institutional and community corrections, and policing studies.
120 total credits
Emphases in Criminal Justice, Institutional and Community Corrections, and Policing Studies
The program is listed at the Mankato, Minnesota location
Graduates need a 2.6 GPA in the major
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Every emphasis shares a major common core that includes Criminal Law & Procedures, Drugs and Society, Research Methods in Criminal Justice & Criminology, Victims/Survivors: Criminal Justice Response, Cultural Competency in Criminal Justice, Advanced Crime Theory & Prevention, Criminal Justice Ethics and Leadership, and a Criminal Justice Senior Seminar. The Institutional and Community Corrections emphasis adds courses such as Correctional Counseling, Correctional Law and a field practicum in corrections, and the Policing Studies emphasis adds courses such as Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Statutes, Criminal Investigation, Peace Officer Stress and Wellness, and Peace Officer Technical Writing. The catalog lists the program at the Mankato, Minnesota location.
A Criminal Justice Learning Community lets students take courses together in their first year, and students who transfer in with a completed A.A., A.A.S. or A.S. degree have the major's required general education waived, except CJ101 and CJ255. Graduates need a 2.6 GPA in the major and a C or higher in required CJ classes. Minnesota State Mankato says the Policing Studies emphasis meets the academic requirement to be eligible for a Minnesota peace officer license, and students must also complete a clinical skills program before taking the POST Board licensure examination. A 19-credit criminal justice minor is also offered.
Winona State University's criminal justice program offers bachelor's majors in Police Science and in Corrections & Justice Services, and the university says the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board has certified it to provide Professional Police Officers Education.
120 total credits for each major
The Police Science major has 64 program credits and the Corrections & Justice Services major 60
Every student completes a semester-long internship in corrections, justice services or policing
Students can start in the fall or spring semester
A Criminal Justice Minor of 21 credits is also offered
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Both majors share a criminal justice core that includes Introduction to Sociology, Crime & Justice in America, Juvenile Justice, Criminology, Forensic Interviewing of Children, Criminal Law and Procedure, Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice and Introduction to Social Research. The Police Science major (64 program credits in a 120-credit degree) adds Forensic Chemistry, Law Enforcement Investigation and Communication, Operations and Procedures in Law Enforcement, Community Policing and Administration and a law enforcement internship, while the Corrections & Justice Services major (60 program credits) adds Corrections, Community Corrections, Offender Assessment and Management and a corrections internship. Every student completes a semester-long internship, and the program snapshots list Winona, Minnesota as the location.
Winona State admits first-year students with official high school transcripts or GED documentation. Students then apply to the criminal justice program after completing College Reading and Writing, Introduction to Sociology and Crime & Justice in America with a C or better, with a combined GPA of at least 2.5 in the last two, and must keep a 2.50 GPA in program courses. Students with a Criminal Justice Transfer Pathways AS degree can complete the Police Science bachelor's at WSU. The department says the police science core follows the POST Board's learning objectives and prepares students for the POST licensing exam after the successful completion of skills and the degree, and the catalog says students seeking peace officer licensure in Minnesota must complete a POST approved education program and skills program, with additional courses beyond those the major requires.
Bemidji State's Criminal Justice, B.S. offers four emphases (Corrections, Police Science, Tribal Justice and Victimology), and the university says the program is offered 100% online and 100% on campus.
120 semester credits
The program is offered 100% online and 100% on campus
Emphases in Corrections, Police Science, Tribal Justice and Victimology
CSP teaches its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice fully online through CSP Global and on campus, with a 90-credit version beside the 120-credit degree and a Minnesota POST licensing eligibility track for online students.
120 credits, or 90 in the reduced-credit version
The online program is fully online and asynchronous
Bachelor’s programs in criminal justice ranked 6 to 13 in Minnesota
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
6
Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN
$10,336
61%
27
63.2
7
Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN
$10,304
54%
13
60.5
8
Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN
$11,750
58%
8
60.1
9
Walden University Minneapolis, MN
$10,823
42%
58
58.4
10
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN
$43,160
72%
20
56.7
11
University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN
$36,830
65%
13
54.6
12
Capella University Minneapolis, MN
$14,436
41%
13
53.9
13
University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN
$13,120
55%
9
44.0
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Associate Degree Programs in Minnesota
If you’re starting with an associate degree, criminal justice schools in Minnesota give you 17 associate’s programs to compare, against 13 for a bachelor’s. At $6,182 a year for residents, the median associate’s program is $1,329 above the national median of $4,853. Alexandria Technical & Community College leads the list, and it conferred 62 criminal justice degrees 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 14 more follow in a table.
Alexandria Technical & Community College's Police Training & Education AAS Degree combines academic instruction with hands-on training, in which students apply classroom theory in settings that use actors, patrol vehicles, on-board computers and radio.
Credentials include a Police Training & Education AAS Degree and a Peace Officer/Public Safety Transfer Pathway AS Degree
Hands-on training uses actors, patrol vehicles, on-board computers and radio
Transfer pathway graduates enter Minnesota State universities with junior-year status
AAS applicants complete a licensure advisory and a psychological evaluation before a program visit
$203.65 a credit, on-campus rate
Read more
The Police Training & Education AAS Degree pairs classroom instruction with hands-on training that uses actors, patrol vehicles, on-board computers and radio, and its curriculum includes Intro to Criminal Justice, Minnesota Statutes, Criminal Procedures, Criminal Investigations, Firearms/Officer Survival Tactics and Traffic Stops. The Peace Officer/Public Safety Transfer Pathway AS Degree combines police courses such as Intro to Criminal Justice and Minnesota Statutes with general education from the MN Transfer Curriculum and skills courses such as Firearms - Skills, Patrol Tactics - Skills and Use of Force - Skills, and its credits transfer directly to designated criminal justice bachelor's programs at Minnesota State universities, where pathway graduates enter with junior-year status.
Applicants to the AAS degree complete a set of electronic forms, including a licensure advisory and a psychological evaluation, and are then invited to campus for a program visit. The college describes the program as an authorized educational and training program under the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (MN POST), overseen by state learning objectives and MinnState education programming, and says the program is for students building the knowledge and skills to pass the board's examination.
Ridgewater's Criminal Justice Transfer Pathway AS is taught fully online with no set meeting times and is designed for transfer to a partner Minnesota State university, and the college's Peace Officer degrees use the same online format, the AAS adding in-person summer skills training.
Fully online, with no set meeting times
60 credits for the Criminal Justice Transfer Pathway AS
Rasmussen University says its hybrid Law Enforcement AAS, offered only in Minnesota with skills training at the HERO Training Center, meets the Minnesota POST Board's standards for people seeking work as peace officers, while its fully online Criminal Justice AAS does not.
Rasmussen's catalog lists the Law Enforcement AAS at 90 quarter credits
Rasmussen says the degree can be finished in as few as 18 months
The catalog says the program is offered only in Minnesota
Associate degree programs in criminal justice ranked 4 to 17 in Minnesota
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
4
North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park, MN
$5,050
28%
32
63.5
5
Century College White Bear Lake, MN
$6,182
38%
58
62.4
6
Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls, MN
$6,262
50%
11
62.3
7
Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN
$6,128
31%
18
59.5
8
Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN
$6,007
29%
19
59.3
9
Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN
$6,359
32%
19
54.0
10
Riverland Community College Austin, MN
$6,249
45%
18
52.6
11
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Cloquet, MN
$5,999
47%
25
51.8
12
Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls, MN
$6,484
49%
10
48.9
13
Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, MN
$5,900
43%
15
48.4
14
Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd, MN
$6,209
45%
11
48.3
15
Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN
$6,321
25%
20
47.6
16
Minnesota North College Hibbing, MN
$6,004
41%
18
44.5
17
Leech Lake Tribal College Cass Lake, MN
$4,148
4%
6
22.9
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 Minnesota
Graduate study at criminal justice schools in Minnesota comes to 2 ranked master’s programs, scored on cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%). Concordia University-Saint Paul ranks first, at $8,550 a year in graduate tuition and fees for a resident. A resident’s graduate tuition and fees span $8,550 to $10,657 a year, with a median of $9,604 that is $1,829 below the $11,433 national median.
Master’s programs in criminal justice ranked in Minnesota. Every program here is online
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
1
Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN
$8,550
68%
20
72.6
2
Walden University Minneapolis, MN
$10,657
42%
124
55.6
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 Minnesota
Online programs at criminal justice schools in Minnesota reach the national online lists 6 times, from 5 schools (2 at the associate’s level, 2 at the bachelor’s level and 2 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. Concordia University-Saint Paul ranks eighth of the 187 ranked online bachelor’s programs, the best placed of the 2 online bachelor’s programs at schools in Minnesota.
Online criminal justice programs from schools in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota
For a bachelor’s degree, a resident pays $9,490 a year at Minnesota State University-Mankato or $43,160 at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, in tuition and required fees. The median is $10,823, $3,361 below the national median of $14,184 for ranked bachelor’s programs.
Ranked criminal justice programs in Minnesota: tuition and graduation rate by level
Level
Ranked programs
Median tuition and fees, a year
Lowest to highest
Median graduation rate
Bachelor’s programs
13
$10,823
$9,490 to $43,160
53%
Associate’s programs
17
$6,182
$4,148 to $11,750
42%
Master’s programs
2
$9,604
$8,550 to $10,657
Who runs the program matters: the median is $10,304 at public colleges, $36,830 at private nonprofit colleges and $11,750 at for-profit colleges.
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 Minnesota Requires to Become a Police Officer
Minnesota requires a postsecondary degree from a regionally accredited college or university, plus a board-approved peace officer education program. That minimum comes from the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). A board-approved Professional Peace Officer Education program is also required. National accreditation does not meet the rule.
“Earn a postsecondary degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and”
Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), Minn. R. 6700.0601, read October 7, 2026: mn.gov
BLS notes 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 Minnesota
BLS puts Minnesota’s patrol officer (SOC 33-3051) median at $83,360, $7,150 above the $76,210 national figure. That is the 13th highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports, and 9,160 people hold the job. The lowest-paid tenth earn $60,670 or less, and the highest-paid tenth earn $106,160 or more.
Patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) are the best paid of the four jobs in Minnesota ($83,360); correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012) are the lowest ($66,040). Against the national medians, Minnesota pays more for patrol officers, probation officers and correctional treatment specialists and correctional officers and jailers and less for detectives and criminal investigators; the widest gap is for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists (SOC 21-1092), $15,310 above the national median of $66,270.
Median annual pay for four criminal justice jobs in Minnesota and nationally, May 2025
Questions About Criminal Justice Degrees in Minnesota
What Are the Best Criminal Justice Schools in Minnesota?
The bachelor’s list of 13 ranked bachelor’s programs in Minnesota is led by Metropolitan State University, then Minnesota State University-Mankato and Winona State University. For an associate degree, Alexandria Technical & Community College leads 17 ranked associate’s programs in Minnesota. For a master’s degree, Concordia University-Saint Paul leads 2 ranked master’s programs in Minnesota. 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 Minnesota?
Expect these medians as a resident at criminal justice schools in Minnesota, for tuition and required fees across 2023-24: $6,182 at the associate’s programs ($4,148 to $11,750), $10,823 at the bachelor’s programs ($9,490 to $43,160) and $9,604 at the master’s programs ($8,550 to $10,657). The national median for a ranked bachelor’s program is $14,184.
What Does Minnesota Require of New Police Officers?
College is part of the minimum. Minnesota requires a postsecondary degree from a regionally accredited college or university, plus a board-approved peace officer education program. A board-approved Professional Peace Officer Education program is also required. National accreditation does not meet the rule. A degree is not a peace officer license, and departments can ask for more than the minimum. The guide to degrees and police work compares this rule with the other 46 state and district rules.
What Do Police Officers Earn in Minnesota?
May 2025 BLS data give an $83,360 median for patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) in Minnesota, $7,150 above the national median of $76,210. Related jobs there pay a median as follows: detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021) earn $80,000 and correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012) $66,040.
Can You Earn a Criminal Justice Degree Online From a School in Minnesota?
Yes. 6 programs at 5 schools in Minnesota 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 Minnesota
Every other one of the criminal justice schools in Minnesota that conferred a criminal justice degree in 2023-24 is below, 8 in all, ordered by degrees conferred. 5 of them confer bachelor’s degrees, the most common level in this list. 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.
Other schools in Minnesota with criminal justice degrees, by degrees conferred
School
Type
Degrees conferred, 2023-24
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Graduation rate
Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
Public
Bachelor’s 33 · Master’s 2
$10,117
47%
Minnesota State College Southeast Winona, MN
Public
Associate’s 4
$7,820
51%
Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN
Public
Associate’s 3
$5,881
44%
Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN
Public
Associate’s 3
$6,318
32%
Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN
Private nonprofit
Associate’s 1 · Bachelor’s 1
$30,200
64%
Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN
Private nonprofit
Bachelor’s 1
$30,010
60%
Herzing University-Minneapolis St. Louis Park, MN
Private nonprofit
Bachelor’s 1
$13,420
74%
St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN
Private nonprofit
Bachelor’s 1
$37,588
65%
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 Minnesota
Each tile opens another state’s page. The first two are in the Midwest, the Census region of Minnesota, and every tile shows one figure from that state.
Sources for the Minnesota 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.
