Criminal Justice and Corrections at Marymount University

Marymount's criminal justice program starts graduates at just $35,642—well below both Virginia's state median ($39,404) and the national average ($37,856). Among Virginia's 23 criminal justice programs, this places graduates in the 40th percentile, trailing schools like George Mason ($43,612) and Liberty ($48,855) by significant margins. For anxious parents, that first-year salary is the immediate concern: can your child afford rent in Arlington on that income while managing $25,000 in debt?

The optimistic view centers on growth. Four years out, earnings jump 70% to $60,710—a dramatic improvement that exceeds what most criminal justice programs deliver. This trajectory suggests graduates might be entering entry-level positions that lead somewhere, though it raises questions about what happens in those middle years. The debt level sits just below state and national medians, making it manageable if that earnings growth materializes.

The gamble here is whether your child can weather those lean early years. Criminal justice isn't a lucrative field generally, and Marymount's graduates start even further behind their Virginia peers. If your child has family support to cover living expenses during that first year or two, the later-career trajectory looks more promising. Without that cushion, the initial earnings gap creates real financial pressure in an expensive metro area.