Criminal Justice and Corrections at Howard University

Howard's Criminal Justice program shows troubling early outcomes that improve dramatically but may not justify the investment. Fresh graduates earn just $27,801—landing in the 5th percentile nationally and 10th percentile among DC programs. That's $15,600 below DC's median for this degree and more than $9,000 below comparable programs at American University or Strayer. With $26,000 in debt, new graduates face nearly a full year's salary in loans, making those first years financially challenging.

The strong 73% earnings growth to $48,062 by year four demonstrates recovery, but context matters: even at that higher level, graduates still trail the median DC outcome of $43,405 earned much earlier by peers at other local schools. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) adds uncertainty—these numbers could shift significantly with more data.

For families considering Howard specifically for criminal justice, the combination of low starting pay in an expensive city and merely average debt creates a difficult financial picture. Students interested in this field would likely see better returns at George Washington ($51,256 median) or Trinity Washington ($47,385), or could attend less selective programs with similar outcomes at lower cost. Unless Howard offers specific career connections or graduate school pathways that justify the slower earnings trajectory, this represents a weak value proposition in a competitive DC market.