Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Kansas City, MO (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Kansas City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $13,296 to $13,296 per year for indexed programs. Kansas City has a population of about 508,233. Median household income is $67,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $134,640 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Kansas City

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

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City

Kansas City, MO 4.3 miles from Kansas City
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,796
Avg net price $8,398/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO 6.4 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,102
Avg net price $25,884/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $134,640 Kansas City, MO-KS $145,557
Judge or Magistrate N/A MO statewide –
Police Supervisor $97,830 Kansas City, MO-KS $105,762
Detective or Criminal Investigator $91,490 Kansas City, MO-KS $98,908
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $62,960 Kansas City, MO-KS $68,065
Correctional Officer $51,390 Kansas City, MO-KS $55,557
Probation Officer $49,380 Kansas City, MO-KS $53,384
Forensic Science Technician $62,750 MO statewide $67,838
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $63,880 Kansas City, MO-KS $69,059
Information Security Analyst $104,010 Kansas City, MO-KS $112,443

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.

Kansas City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 508,233 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,449 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 37.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Kansas City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Kansas City. The closest is Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City in Kansas City, MO (4.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ottawa University-Online (14.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Kansas City are: Attorney ($134,640), Information Security Analyst ($104,010), Police Supervisor ($97,830). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Kansas City?

Gladstone, MO is 6.2 miles from Kansas City 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 Kansas City an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Kansas City’s median household income of $67,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri 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 Kansas City

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

Data verified: September 6, 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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