Criminal Justice and Corrections at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

UNC Charlotte's criminal justice program lands in a middle ground that requires careful consideration of the numbers. Graduates start at $36,155—below the national average but comfortably above North Carolina's median of $34,463, placing it at the 60th percentile statewide. That's meaningful context: this program outperforms three out of five NC competitors in a state with 36 criminal justice programs. The debt load of $23,250 keeps the first-year ratio manageable at 0.64, though it sits higher than most programs nationally.

The stronger case emerges in the four-year trajectory. Earnings climb to $45,493, a 26% increase that suggests graduates successfully advance into supervisory or specialized roles. This growth outpaces what many criminal justice programs deliver and narrows the gap with higher-earning competitors. For a program at an 80%-admission-rate university serving substantial numbers of Pell Grant students, these outcomes demonstrate solid workforce preparation.

For families weighing options, this program offers reasonable value if your child plans to stay in North Carolina and commit to career progression in the field. The debt is manageable relative to starting salary, and the earnings growth indicates career mobility. However, parents should recognize that criminal justice typically caps lower than many bachelor's degrees—the $45,000 four-year mark, while respectable for this field, won't match tech or business outcomes from the same university.