Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Wichita, KS (2026)

Wichita, Kansas has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $6,018 to $21,064 per year for indexed programs. Wichita has a population of about 396,488. Median household income is $63,072 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wichita, KS metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $148,910 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Wichita

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

#1

Friends University

Wichita, KS 1.4 miles from Wichita BOC Score 38.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,113
Avg net price $27,715/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Wichita State University

Wichita, KS 2.2 miles from Wichita BOC Score 51.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,532
Avg net price $13,194/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Newman University

Wichita, KS 5.5 miles from Wichita BOC Score 57.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,041
Avg net price $19,971/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology

Wichita, KS 8.0 miles from Wichita BOC Score 54.7
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,679
Avg net price $8,805/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Wichita

Wichita is part of the Wichita, KS metro area (BLS area code 48620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$121,510Wichita, KS$136,682
Judge or Magistrate$148,910Wichita, KS$167,503
Police Supervisor$90,610Wichita, KS$101,924
Detective or Criminal Investigator$87,280Wichita, KS$98,178
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$60,840Wichita, KS$68,436
Correctional Officer$56,270Wichita, KS$63,296
Probation Officer$61,840Wichita, KS$69,561
Forensic Science Technician$63,420Wichita, KS$71,339
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$50,240Wichita, KS$56,513
Information Security Analyst$91,670Wichita, KS$103,116

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.


Wichita at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population396,488Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$63,072Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+30.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)88.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Wichita-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Wichita, KS?

Accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Wichita are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Wichita are: Judge or Magistrate ($148,910), Attorney ($121,510), Information Security Analyst ($91,670). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Derby instead of Wichita?

Derby, KS is 10.4 miles from Wichita 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 Wichita an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Wichita’s median household income of $63,072 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wichita while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kansas 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 Wichita

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

Data verified: July 23, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.