In California, as a criminologist, you can expect to earn a salary of anywhere from less than $54,821 per year to more than $102,235 per year. But the median salary for criminologists earn $75,179 per year, in California.here are 9 criminology schools in California if you are interested in pursuing credentials in the field of criminology. Yearly tuition at criminology schools in California for a degree in criminology is $17,399 per year.