Best Criminology Schools Near Gulfport, MS (2026)

Gulfport, Mississippi has 8 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $4,299 to $49,440 per year for indexed programs. Gulfport has a population of about 72,533. Median household income is $46,044 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS metro area, the top-earning criminology-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $57,060 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminology Schools to Gulfport

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

#1

University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, MS 64.4 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 39.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,140
Avg net price $21,708/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Wesson, MS 117.2 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 63.6
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,241
Avg net price $3,894/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Jackson State University

Jackson, MS 145.5 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 27.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,060
Avg net price $23,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Alcorn State University

Alcorn State, MS 157.5 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 45.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,421
Avg net price $13,265/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Mississippi Valley State University

Itta Bena, MS 224.3 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 36.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,919
Avg net price $9,686/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Delta State University

Cleveland, MS 249.2 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 45.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,991
Avg net price $13,540/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Coahoma Community College

Clarksdale, MS 278.5 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 44.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $24,289
Avg net price $-274/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Blue Mountain Christian University

Blue Mountain, MS 293.2 miles from Gulfport BOC Score 37.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,421
Avg net price $24,016/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminology Wages Near Gulfport

Gulfport is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS metro area (BLS area code 25060). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Mississippi statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
SociologistN/AMS statewide
Detective and Criminal Investigator$57,060Gulfport-Biloxi, MS$63,400
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$34,110MS statewide$37,900
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$48,050Gulfport-Biloxi, MS$53,389

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.


Gulfport at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population72,533Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$46,044Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)90.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Gulfport-Area Cities With Criminology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminology schools are near Gulfport, MS?

Our directory has 8 accredited schools offering criminology programs near Gulfport. The closest is Northshore Technical Community College in Lacombe, LA (49.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southeastern Louisiana University (83.5 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminology roles near Gulfport?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near Gulfport are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($57,060), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($48,050), Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist ($34,110). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Mississippi statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Biloxi instead of Gulfport?

Biloxi, MS is 7.0 miles from Gulfport 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 Gulfport an affordable place to study criminology?

Gulfport’s median household income of $46,044 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gulfport while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Mississippi 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 Gulfport

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.