Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Northampton, MA (2026)

Northampton, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $5,520 to $26,435 per year for indexed programs. Northampton has a population of about 28,640. Median household income is $78,467 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 61.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Massachusetts, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $221,710 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Northampton

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

#1

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Amherst, MA 8.5 miles from Northampton BOC Score79.0
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#2

Holyoke Community College

Holyoke, MA 9.2 miles from Northampton BOC Score43.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#3

College of Our Lady of the Elms

Chicopee, MA 13.3 miles from Northampton BOC Score64.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#4

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA 14.7 miles from Northampton BOC Score62.3
Published tuition$11,882 - $26,435
Online programsYes

Visit website

#5

Springfield Technical Community College

Springfield, MA 15.7 miles from Northampton BOC Score58.4
Published tuition$5,520 - $14,223
Online programsYes

Visit website

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Northampton

Northampton is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$122,670Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$122,425
Judge or Magistrate$221,710MA statewide$221,267
Police Supervisor$98,530Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$98,333
Detective or Criminal Investigator$110,150MA statewide$109,930
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$73,480Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$73,333
Correctional Officer$86,310MA statewide$86,138
Probation Officer$94,590MA statewide$94,401
Forensic Science Technician$79,320MA statewide$79,162
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$64,050Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$63,922
Information Security Analyst$101,520Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$101,317

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.


Northampton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population28,640Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$78,467Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+61.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Northampton-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Northampton, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Northampton. The closest is University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Amherst, MA (8.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Springfield Technical Community College (15.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Northampton are: Judge or Magistrate ($221,710), Attorney ($122,670), Detective or Criminal Investigator ($110,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Holyoke instead of Northampton?

Holyoke, MA is 8.1 miles from Northampton 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 Northampton an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Northampton’s median household income of $78,467 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Northampton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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 Northampton

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

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.