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Criminal justice social worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a criminal justice social worker. Criminal justice social workers usually study criminal justice, social work, or psychology. 47% of criminal justice social workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 65 real criminal justice social worker resumes to see exactly what criminal justice social worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for criminal justice social workers are the Schoolcraft College and the Schoolcraft College.
There are also many online criminal justice social worker courses to help get the education required to be a criminal justice social worker.
What education do you need to become a criminal justice social worker?
What degree do you need to be a criminal justice social worker?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 18%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a criminal justice social worker?
- Criminal Justice, 26%
- Social Work, 14%
- Psychology, 7%
- Communication, 5%
- Other Majors, 48%
Most common colleges for criminal justice social workers
| Criminal justice social worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Schoolcraft College | 9.09% |
| SUNY Buffalo State | 9.09% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 4.55% |
| Southwestern Assemblies of God University | 4.55% |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 4.55% |
Best majors for criminal justice social workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 26.2% |
| 2 | Social Work | 14.3% |
| 3 | Psychology | 7.1% |
| 4 | Communication | 4.8% |
| 5 | Public Administration | 4.8% |
Best colleges for criminal justice social workers
The best colleges for criminal justice social workers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
A criminal justice social worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for criminal justice social workers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become criminal justice social workers.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
7. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Enrollment
21,732
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Enrollment
34,637
20 best online courses for criminal justice social workers
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5. Housing Justice: A View from Indian Cities
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6. Introduction to International Criminal Law
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18. Psychology of Criminal Behaviour & Criminology - ACCREDITED
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19. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Associate Life Coach
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20. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Life Coach Specialty
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Top 10 most affordable universities for criminal justice social workers
The most affordable schools for criminal justice social workers are California State University - Long Beach, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for criminal justice social workers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for criminal justice social workers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for criminal justice social workers
The hardest universities for criminal justice social workers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for criminal justice social workers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for criminal justice social workers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
7. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for criminal justice social workers
The easiest schools for criminal justice social workers to get into are The University of Texas Permian Basin, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a criminal justice social worker without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for criminal justice social workers.
1. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average criminal justice social worker salary by education level
| Criminal justice social worker education level | Criminal justice social worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $57,987 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,113 |
| Doctorate Degree | $57,865 |
Criminal justice social worker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025