Criminal Justice Administration Schools Near Cleveland, TN

Cleveland, Tennessee has 30 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs, with tuition ranging from $2,636 to $30,814 per year for indexed programs. Cleveland has a population of about 48,185. Median household income is $55,904 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Cleveland, TN metro area, the top-earning criminal justice administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $92,800 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Administration Schools to Cleveland

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice administration programs near Cleveland, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cleveland 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 Cleveland. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers

Chattanooga, TN 21.2 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 22.6
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $25,954
Avg net price $33,625/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 31%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bryan College-Dayton

Dayton, TN 23.0 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 48.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,434
Avg net price $20,614/yr
Tuition
In‑state$19,800
Out‑of‑state$19,800
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Tennessee Wesleyan University

Athens, TN 24.0 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 48.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,989
Avg net price $14,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN 25.9 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 54.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,151
Avg net price $14,265/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

South College

Knoxville, TN 71.6 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 45.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,642
Avg net price $17,858/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 95.6 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 56.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,541
Avg net price $13,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Cumberland University

Lebanon, TN 106.9 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 53.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,687
Avg net price $18,759/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate, TN 117.5 miles from Cleveland BOC Score 51.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,956
Avg net price $20,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminal Justice Administration Wages Near Cleveland

Cleveland is part of the Cleveland, TN metro area (BLS area code 17420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives$74,770TN statewide$84,869
First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers$74,140TN statewide$84,154
General and Operations Manager$92,800Cleveland, TN$105,335
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$58,800Cleveland, TN$66,742

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.


Cleveland at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population48,185Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,904Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+31.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)88.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Cleveland-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice administration schools are near Cleveland, TN?

Our directory has 30 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs near Cleveland. The closest is Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers in Chattanooga, TN (21.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pellissippi State Community College (66.1 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice administration-related roles near Cleveland are: General and Operations Manager ($92,800), First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives ($74,770), First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers ($74,140). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chattanooga instead of Cleveland?

Chattanooga, TN is 22.8 miles from Cleveland 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 Cleveland an affordable place to study criminal justice administration?

Cleveland’s median household income of $55,904 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cleveland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Cleveland

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

Data verified: August 11, 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.