Quick answer:8 colleges within 100 miles of Sterling, Illinois award a criminology degree, the nearest about 48 miles away (IPEDS Completions, 2024).
Compare criminology programs you can start from Sterling:
Criminology Program Access Near Sterling, Illinois
Distance from Sterling
Colleges awarding this degree
Within 25 miles
0
Within 50 miles
2
Within 100 miles
8
Within 250 miles
29
Source: IPEDS Completions, 2024, counting institutions that reported awarding this degree, joined to IPEDS institution coordinates. Distances are straight-line.
Access around Sterling is thinner than in the larger Illinois metros. The nearest college awarding this degree is roughly 48 miles away and 8 sit within 100 miles, which is the case where an online or low-residency program earns its keep.
Choosing A Criminology Program From Sterling
The subject matter does not change by location: criminological theory, research methods and statistics, criminal behavior, and the justice system. What changes is how you take it. Ask each college whether the program holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor, how much of the coursework is delivered online, and which components require you on campus. Credit transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies, so request a written transfer evaluation before you enroll.
Colleges Near Sterling
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 140 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
#1
Dominican University
📍
River Forest, IL
•96.6 miles away•BOC Score
68.6
What Detectives and Criminal Investigators Earn in Illinois
Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Illinois earn a median $91,190 per year against $93,790 nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Illinois median for detectives and criminal investigators is $91,190 per year, below the national median of $93,790, on state employment of 3,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
These are statewide figures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish wages at city level, so no page can tell you what this job pays in Sterling specifically. For the metro-level picture where it is published, and the full percentile spread, see the Illinois page.
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions, 2024 - institutions awarding this degree, with IPEDS institution coordinates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Detectives and Criminal Investigators (SOC 33-3021)
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
