2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 154 degrees and certificates were awarded to homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students who went to a South Dakota college or university. This makes it the #18 most popular major in the state.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 4 schools in South Dakota to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best South Dakota Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Our 2023 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value school in South Dakota for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students working on their associate degree. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 per year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, LATI is ranked #2 for overall quality for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting in South Dakota.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeast Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Tech are $7,650 per year.
Southeast Tech also made our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list, coming in at #3.
Read full report on Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at Southeast Technical College
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Dakota Technical Institute. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Dakota Tech are $8,332 per year.
Full Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at Western Dakota Technical Institute Report
Request InformationBest Value Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 722 |
| Minnesota | 1,643 |
| Iowa | 883 |
| Missouri | 1,500 |
| Nebraska | 729 |
| North Dakota | 271 |
More Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Rankings in South Dakota
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Related Majors for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 113,121 |
| Fire Protection | 13,766 |
| Homeland Security | 7,140 |
| Security Science and Technology | 6,888 |
| Other Homeland Security | 1,695 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 98,583 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 73,813 |
| Legal Professions | 61,055 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 4 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Barry Bahler.
More about our data sources and methodologies.