Santa Monica College
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Santa Monica, CA (2026)
Santa Monica, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $194,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Santa Monica
The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Santa Monica. Distances are calculated from Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
West Los Angeles College
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Los Angeles Valley College
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
University of Southern California
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Los Angeles City College
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near Santa Monica
Santa Monica is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney | $194,410 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $171,136 |
| Judge or Magistrate | N/A | CA statewide | – |
| Police Supervisor | $167,600 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $147,535 |
| Detective or Criminal Investigator | $127,890 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $112,579 |
| Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $121,980 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $107,377 |
| Correctional Officer | $78,770 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $69,340 |
| Probation Officer | $108,150 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $95,202 |
| Forensic Science Technician | $104,410 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $91,910 |
| Paralegal or Legal Assistant | $77,520 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $68,239 |
| Information Security Analyst | $129,630 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $114,111 |
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.
Santa Monica at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 91,535 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $109,739 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 68.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Santa Monica-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Culver City, CA – 5.0 mi away (39,364 pop)
- Beverly Hills, CA – 5.9 mi away (34,687 pop)
- Los Angeles, CA – 7.6 mi away (12,740,381 pop)
- West Hollywood, CA – 7.7 mi away (36,698 pop)
- Inglewood, CA – 9.1 mi away (110,654 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Santa Monica, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Santa Monica. The closest is Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, CA (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Los Angeles City College (11.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Santa Monica?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Santa Monica are: Attorney ($194,410), Police Supervisor ($167,600), Information Security Analyst ($129,630). 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 Culver City instead of Santa Monica?
Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica an affordable place to study criminal justice?
Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica 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
- Criminal Justice accreditation: what to look for
- Criminal Justice concentrations and specializations
- Is a Criminal Justice degree worth it?
- Main Criminal Justice degree guide
- Online Criminal Justice programs in California
- Criminal Justice programs by state
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Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Monica:
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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.
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