Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Brookings, SD (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Brookings, South Dakota has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Brookings has a population of about 23,710. Median household income is $61,979 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In South Dakota, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Information Security Analyst at a median $116,640 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Brookings

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

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Brookings

Occupation	Median Annual Wage (South Dakota, statewide)
Attorney	$102,040
Judge or Magistrate	N/A
Police Supervisor	$87,810
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$77,730
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$60,740
Correctional Officer	$53,040
Probation Officer	$66,870
Forensic Science Technician	$51,690
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$58,320
Information Security Analyst	$116,640

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.

Brookings at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	23,710	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$61,979	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	49.7%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)

Other Brookings-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Watertown, SD – 45.7 mi away (21,788 pop)
Sioux Falls, SD – 52.9 mi away (177,629 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Brookings, SD?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Brookings. The closest is Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, SD (44.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Minnesota West Community and Technical College (69.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles in South Dakota?

Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles in South Dakota are: Information Security Analyst ($116,640), Attorney ($102,040), Police Supervisor ($87,810). Wages for Brookings workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.

Should I look at programs in Watertown instead of Brookings?

Watertown, SD is 45.7 miles from Brookings 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 Brookings an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Brookings’s median household income of $61,979 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brookings while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Dakota 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 Brookings

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

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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