Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Surprise, AZ (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Surprise, Arizona has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Surprise has a population of about 149,519. Median household income is $93,371 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $135,670 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Surprise

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Surprise. Distances are calculated from Surprise city center.

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 Surprise. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Surprise

Surprise is part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area (BLS area code 38060). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arizona statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$135,670	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$131,336
Judge or Magistrate	$113,440	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$109,816
Police Supervisor	$114,520	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$110,862
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$98,860	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$95,702
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$85,050	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$82,333
Correctional Officer	$57,280	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$55,450
Probation Officer	$61,730	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$59,758
Forensic Science Technician	$65,220	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$63,136
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$62,620	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$60,620
Information Security Analyst	$130,360	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$126,196

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.

Surprise at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	149,519	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$93,371	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	31.0%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	103.3 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Surprise-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

El Mirage, AZ – 9.5 mi away (35,043 pop)
Peoria, AZ – 11.4 mi away (164,173 pop)
Glendale, AZ – 14.8 mi away (245,895 pop)
Buckeye, AZ – 20.4 mi away (64,629 pop)
Avondale, AZ – 21.7 mi away (214,235 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Surprise, AZ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Surprise. The closest is Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale, AZ (15.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Phoenix College (25.0 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Surprise?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Surprise are: Attorney ($135,670), Information Security Analyst ($130,360), Police Supervisor ($114,520). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arizona statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in El Mirage instead of Surprise?

El Mirage, AZ is 9.5 miles from Surprise and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Surprise an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Surprise’s median household income of $93,371 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Surprise while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arizona 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 Programs

Other Programs Available in Surprise

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

Data verified: June 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.

Back to Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Arizona (2026)

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