Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Murrieta, CA (2026)

Murrieta, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $1,432 to $13,732 per year for indexed programs. Murrieta has a population of about 111,621. Median household income is $109,780 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $195,080 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Murrieta

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Murrieta. Distances are calculated from Murrieta 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 Murrieta. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

San Joaquin Valley College-Temecula

Temecula, CA 3.5 miles from Murrieta BOC Score53.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

Mt San Jacinto Community College District

San Jacinto, CA 19.3 miles from Murrieta BOC Score40.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#3

Moreno Valley College

Moreno Valley, CA 21.8 miles from Murrieta BOC Score50.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#4

Platt College-Riverside

Riverside, CA 25.7 miles from Murrieta BOC Score47.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#5

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA 27.2 miles from Murrieta BOC Score71.2
Published tuition$1,432 - $13,732
Online programsYes

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Murrieta

Murrieta is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$195,080CA statewide$183,346
Judge or MagistrateN/ACA statewide
Police Supervisor$159,810Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$150,197
Detective or Criminal Investigator$127,420Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$119,756
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$101,870Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$95,742
Correctional Officer$94,730Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$89,032
Probation Officer$96,970Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$91,137
Forensic Science Technician$82,320Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$77,368
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$61,460Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$57,763
Information Security Analyst$114,970Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$108,055

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.


Murrieta at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population111,621Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,780Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+31.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)106.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Murrieta-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Murrieta, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Murrieta. The closest is San Joaquin Valley College-Temecula in Temecula, CA (3.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saddleback College (27.2 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Murrieta are: Attorney ($195,080), Police Supervisor ($159,810), Detective or Criminal Investigator ($127,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Wildomar instead of Murrieta?

Wildomar, CA is 5.0 miles from Murrieta 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 Murrieta an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Murrieta’s median household income of $109,780 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Murrieta while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Murrieta

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

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.