Best Criminology Schools Near Chelsea, MA (2026)

Chelsea, Massachusetts has 51 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $15,908 to $70,702 per year for indexed programs. Chelsea has a population of about 39,460. Median household income is $72,220 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, the top-earning criminology-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $110,150 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminology Schools to Chelsea

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

#1

Cambridge College

Boston, MA 2.3 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 35.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,998
Avg net price $31,072/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,378
Out‑of‑state$18,378
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Fisher College

Boston, MA 3.5 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 29.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,669
Avg net price $26,649/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Boston University

Boston, MA 4.7 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 81.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 11%
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,238
Avg net price $24,402/yr
Tuition
In‑state$68,102
Out‑of‑state$68,102
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Northeastern University

Boston, MA 4.8 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 80.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $30,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Northeastern University Professional Programs

Boston, MA 4.8 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 79.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Boston, MA 5.7 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 60.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,865
Avg net price $17,707/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA 7.9 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 78.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $103,937
Avg net price $41,704/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Curry College

Milton, MA 11.5 miles from Chelsea BOC Score 44.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,400
Avg net price $29,207/yr
Tuition
In‑state$47,970
Out‑of‑state$47,970
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminology Wages Near Chelsea

Chelsea is part of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (BLS area code 14460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Sociologist$106,530Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$98,366
Detective and Criminal Investigator$110,150Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$101,708
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$98,100Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$90,582
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$78,180Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$72,188

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.


Chelsea at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population39,460Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$72,220Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)108.3 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Chelsea-Area Cities With Criminology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminology schools are near Chelsea, MA?

Our directory has 51 accredited schools offering criminology programs near Chelsea. The closest is Cambridge College in Boston, MA (2.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Curry College (11.7 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminology roles near Chelsea?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near Chelsea are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($110,150), Sociologist ($106,530), Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist ($98,100). 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 Everett instead of Chelsea?

Everett, MA is 1.3 miles from Chelsea and has its own set of local criminology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Chelsea an affordable place to study criminology?

Chelsea’s median household income of $72,220 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chelsea 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 Criminology Programs

Other Programs Available in Chelsea

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

Data verified: August 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.