Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Cleveland, TN (2026)

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

Cleveland, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Cleveland has a population of about 48,185. Median household income is $55,904 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Tennessee, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $208,350 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Cleveland

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

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Cleveland

Cleveland is part of the Cleveland, TN metro area (BLS area code 17420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$131,980	Cleveland, TN	$149,807
Judge or Magistrate	$208,350	TN statewide	$236,493
Police Supervisor	$74,770	TN statewide	$84,869
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$77,090	TN statewide	$87,503
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$58,800	Cleveland, TN	$66,742
Correctional Officer	$50,940	TN statewide	$57,821
Probation Officer	$58,010	TN statewide	$65,846
Forensic Science Technician	$70,500	TN statewide	$80,023
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$48,640	Cleveland, TN	$55,210
Information Security Analyst	$115,430	TN statewide	$131,022

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.

Cleveland at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	48,185	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$55,904	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	31.1%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	88.1 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Cleveland-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Chattanooga, TN – 22.8 mi away (403,618 pop)
East Ridge, TN – 23.9 mi away (21,302 pop)
Dalton, GA – 29.1 mi away (87,688 pop)
Calhoun, GA – 47.8 mi away (33,092 pop)
Harriman, TN – 54.6 mi away (23,026 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Cleveland, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Cleveland. The closest is Lee University in Cleveland, TN (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Bryan College-Dayton (23.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Cleveland are: Judge or Magistrate ($208,350), Attorney ($131,980), Information Security Analyst ($115,430). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chattanooga instead of Cleveland?

Chattanooga, TN is 22.8 miles from Cleveland 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 Cleveland an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Cleveland’s median household income of $55,904 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cleveland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Cleveland

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

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.

Back to Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Tennessee (2026)

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