Best Criminal Justice Schools in Texas

Depends on what you want to do, where you are, how far you are willing to travel for school, what size classes you would like, and so forth.

Sam Houston is the largest and most famous, which can cut both ways. They have many opportunities that other programs don’t have, but because it is such a large program, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd if you don’t make an effort to stand out.

Prairie View A&M tends to be looked down upon (though few people will admit it) because they are a historically black college. My experiences with the faculty and students of Prairie View A&M is that they are very much focused on student success and they are heavily involved in the community. They also have a PhD in Juvenile Justice program, so that may be a consideration.

I can personally attest to the program at Tarleton. Although I did most of my work at a satellite campus (which recently became Texas A&M Central Texas), I did have enough interaction with the main campus to know that they have some solid faculty.

Don’t forget to consider your local community college if you want to get a head start. Many will offer dual enrollment classes in conjunction with local school districts, plus you have the option to complete your core requirements in smaller classes (and usually at lower tuition rates). If you do this, be sure the check before you enroll if the program has articulation agreements (sometimes known as 2+2) with any universities you want to consider transferring to after you finish your basics. The down side of this approach is that you won’t get the full “traditional” college experience, but that is more of a personal decision to make.

Regardless of where you go, remember to not get sucked up into the mainstream college culture of parties and shenanigans. It will come back to bite you later when your backgrounds checks are being conducted.

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