Criminal Justice and Corrections at Benedictine University

Benedictine's Criminal Justice graduates earn substantially more than the national norm—$46,020 versus the typical $37,856—putting this program in the 95th percentile nationwide. That's an $8,000+ premium over what most criminal justice majors can expect. The debt burden of roughly $26,000 is entirely manageable at this earnings level, creating a debt-to-income ratio that parents should find reassuring.

The Illinois context tells a more nuanced story. While this program clearly outperforms national standards, it sits around the middle of the pack statewide, where schools like Aurora and University of St. Francis produce similar or slightly higher earnings. Illinois criminal justice programs overall seem to deliver stronger outcomes than the national field, so being median in Illinois still means exceeding most programs elsewhere. The roughly $7,000 gap between Benedictine and the state's top performer is noticeable but not dramatic given the starting salary.

For families considering criminal justice degrees—a field often criticized for weak returns—this program delivers solid ROI. Your child would graduate with reasonable debt and earnings that meaningfully exceed the field's typical outcomes. The moderate sample size suggests consistent results across multiple cohorts. If your student is committed to criminal justice or law enforcement, this represents a financially sound path rather than the debt trap that plagues many programs in this field.