21 PhD programmes in Criminology in United States

The Criminology and Criminal Justice program from University of Nevada, Las Vegas will prepare students for research, teaching, and professional employment at universities, research institutes, and criminal justice related agencies — including, governmental agencies, related non-profit agencies, public policy institutes, and the private sector.

The Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice (CLJ) at University of Illinois at Chicago is an interdisciplinary department with Master's, PhD, and undergraduate programs at Chicago’s only urban, public research university. 

Criminology is defined as the interdisciplinary scientific study of crime, criminal behavior, and the social control of crime. The Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida provides a scientific, philosophical, and humanistic approach to the understanding of these subjects in contemporary society.

The highly interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania combines the traditional concerns of criminologists with concepts, theories, and empirical research from a wide variety of academic disciplines.

The Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware offers a doctor of philosophy degree program in both Sociology and Criminology.

Pennsylvania State University’s Criminology graduate program is one of the nation’s top programs in criminology and criminal justice.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Legal Psychology at Florida International University focuses on issues such as witness memory, interrogations, investigative interviewing, lineups, deception detection and juror decision-making.

Considered the best Criminology and Criminal Justice doctoral program in the country as evidenced by multiple articles in The Journal of Criminal Justice Education, the Florida State University College of Criminology offers you the opportunity to be part of an intellectual community and learn from the most productive scholars in the country. 

The Criminology, Law and Society graduate program at University of Florida has two areas of special emphasis: crime and justice, and law and society.  

Embark on an enlightening academic journey at Northeastern University's Criminology and Justice Policy Doctoral Program.

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University offers an on-campus program of coursework and research leading to the PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The doctoral degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is an interdisciplinary, research-oriented degree designed to provide a theoretically grounded, methodologically sophisticated and statistically rigorous education.

The doctoral Criminology and Criminal Justice program from University of Missouri–St. Louis is designed to provide students with a command of criminological knowledge and analytical skills.

The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina offers a program of coursework and research leading to the Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. 

​​This Ph.D. program in Criminology, Law and Society is offered at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). UCI offers graduate students the opportunity to earn emphases in several substantive areas.

The University of Iowa's new PhD Program in Criminology offers rigorous training in criminological and sociological theory, a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods, and two cutting edge substantive areas - Inequality, Crime & Justice and International & Comparative Criminology. 

Become a leader in researching solutions for today’s most critical social issues! The PhD program in Community Research and Action at Binghamton University prepares students for rewarding academic or policy-related careers conducting high-quality, impactful scholarship.

The Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology program at Georgia State University is designed to train researchers and teacher-scholars in criminal justice and criminology.

The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (DCCJ) at Florida International University offers a Ph.D. in International Crime and Justice (ICJ).

The Criminology and Criminal Justice PhD program at the University of Maryland is intended to prepare students for research, teaching and professional employment in operational agencies within the field of criminal justice.