The family was national liberal, Prussian and Protestant, managing what Rudolf Criegee felt was a great fortune.

After four semesters of study and moderate success, his experience in student fraternity Germania and twelve duels, Criegee changed to the University of Greifswald.

He moved to the University of Würzburg and received his PhD in December 1925 at Otto Dimroth with a thesis on acridinium salts.

Criegee remained in Würzburg and in 1930 he received his habilitation with a thesis on the "Oxydation ungesättigter Kohlenwasserstoffe mit Blei(IV)-Salzen“.

In November 1933, he was one of the signatories to the Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State.

In 1937 he received an associate professorship at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, but his work was interrupted by World War II.