Best Criminology Schools Near Southaven, MS (2026)

Southaven, Mississippi has 17 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $2,570 to $38,420 per year for indexed programs. Southaven has a population of about 55,531. Median household income is $76,159 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, the top-earning criminology-related role is Detective and Criminal Investigator at a median $78,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminology Schools to Southaven

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

#1

Rust College

Holly Springs, MS 32.5 miles from Southaven BOC Score 33.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,275
Avg net price $12,587/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Blue Mountain Christian University

Blue Mountain, MS 57.3 miles from Southaven 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

#3

Coahoma Community College

Clarksdale, MS 58.8 miles from Southaven 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

#4

Delta State University

Cleveland, MS 93.8 miles from Southaven 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

#5

Mississippi Valley State University

Itta Bena, MS 102.5 miles from Southaven 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

Jackson State University

Jackson, MS 183.9 miles from Southaven 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

#7

Alcorn State University

Alcorn State, MS 223.2 miles from Southaven 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

#8

Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Wesson, MS 226.7 miles from Southaven 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

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


Criminology Wages Near Southaven

Southaven is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (BLS area code 32820). 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$78,920Memphis, TN-MS-AR$85,597
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$58,010Memphis, TN-MS-AR$62,918
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$75,410Memphis, TN-MS-AR$81,790

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.


Southaven at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population55,531Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$76,159Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+27.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.2 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Southaven-Area Cities With Criminology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminology schools are near Southaven, MS?

Our directory has 17 accredited schools offering criminology programs near Southaven. The closest is Le Moyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN (12.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Arkansas State University (73.1 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminology roles near Southaven?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near Southaven are: Detective and Criminal Investigator ($78,920), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($75,410), Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist ($58,010). 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 Horn Lake instead of Southaven?

Horn Lake, MS is 4.0 miles from Southaven 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 Southaven an affordable place to study criminology?

Southaven’s median household income of $76,159 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Southaven 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 Southaven

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

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.