Best Criminal Justice Administration Schools Near Kansas City, MO

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Kansas City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs, with tuition ranging from $13,296 to $13,296 per year for indexed programs. Kansas City has a population of about 508,233. Median household income is $67,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning criminal justice administration-related role is First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives at a median $97,830 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Administration Schools to Kansas City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice administration programs near Kansas City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kansas City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Park University

Parkville, MO 8.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,309
Avg net price $21,032/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, MO 45.5 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
37.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,647
Avg net price $13,251/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, MO 50.6 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
54.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 64%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,560
Avg net price $14,462/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,050
Out‑of‑state$18,600
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies

Fayette, MO 100.2 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,991
Avg net price $14,601/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Fayette, MO 100.2 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
31.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 57%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,991
Avg net price $22,766/yr
Tuition
In‑state$28,260
Out‑of‑state$28,260
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Columbia College

Columbia, MO 120.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,378
Avg net price $22,715/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,826
Out‑of‑state$25,826
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Southwest Baptist University

Bolivar, MO 122.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,112
Avg net price $21,677/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO 128.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,280
Avg net price $12,780/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Missouri schools on the Missouri criminal justice administration page.

Criminal Justice Administration Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives$97,830Kansas City, MO-KS$105,762
First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers$69,780Kansas City, MO-KS$75,438
General and Operations Manager$90,490Kansas City, MO-KS$97,827
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$62,960Kansas City, MO-KS$68,065

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Kansas City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population508,233Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,449Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice administration schools are near Kansas City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs near Kansas City. The closest is Park University in Parkville, MO (8.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is MidAmerica Nazarene University (21.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice administration roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice administration-related roles near Kansas City are: First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives ($97,830), General and Operations Manager ($90,490), First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers ($69,780). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Kansas City?

Gladstone, MO is 6.2 miles from Kansas City and has its own set of local criminal justice administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Kansas City an affordable place to study criminal justice administration?

Kansas City’s median household income of $67,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Kansas City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Kansas City:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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