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Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region

2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

100 Colleges
$6,239 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,065 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting School for You

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting is the #12 most popular major in the country with 142,610 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 100 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

Top 15% Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools

#1

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX
$4,704 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Amarillo College to be the best value school for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students who want to pursue a degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year. After completing their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $16,751.

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$4,104 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend New Mexico State University - Grants. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the remote town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public college with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Grants are $4,104 a year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at NMSU Grants take out an average of $6,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#3

South Plains College

Levelland, TX
$4,276 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at South Plains College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting schools in the Southwest Region . South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.

South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,276 in tuition and fees each year.

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#5

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX
$4,440 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Tyler Junior College is a great value for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Tyler.

Tyler Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,440 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Tyler Junior College take out is $11,875.

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#6

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Dallas.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Centro College are $6,000 a year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at El Centro College take out is $13,692.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, El Centro College also is in the top 5% of our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

Full Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at El Centro College Report

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$4,872 Average Tuition & Fees

Wharton County Junior College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. Wharton County Junior College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Wharton.

Wharton County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at Wharton County Junior College take out an average of $9,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#8

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX
$3,873 Average Tuition & Fees

College of the Mainland came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Texas City, COM is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year.

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$4,008 Average Tuition & Fees

New Mexico State University - Carlsbad did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public school with a small student population.

NMSU Carlsbad undergraduate students pay an average of $4,008 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from NMSU Carlsbad carry an average student debtload of $6,750.

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#10

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

Lone Star College System came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a very large student population.

North Harris Montgomery undergraduate students pay an average of $6,168 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at North Harris Montgomery accumulate an average of around $13,176 in student debt.

In addition to its great value ranking, North Harris Montgomery is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region list.

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$5,314 Average Tuition & Fees

El Paso Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. El Paso Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of El Paso.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Paso Community College are $5,314 a year. After completing their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from El Paso Community College carry an average student debtload of $5,500.

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McLennan Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Waco, MCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $5,910 a year. While working on their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at MCC accumulate an average of around $16,614 in student debt.

MCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region list.

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$5,664 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #13, New Mexico State University - Dona Ana did quite well on this year’s best value schools for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Located in the rural area of Las Cruces, NMSU Dona Ana is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMSU Dona Ana are $5,664 per year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at NMSU Dona Ana take out an average of $6,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#14

South Texas College

McAllen, TX

South Texas College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of McAllen.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Texas College are $7,920 a year. While working on their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at South Texas College accumulate an average of around $6,750 in student debt.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, South Texas College also is in the top 15% of our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

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$5,376 Average Tuition & Fees

New Mexico State University - Alamogordo ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region list. NMSU Alamogordo is a small public school located in the rural area of Alamogordo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Alamogordo are $5,376 a year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at NMSU Alamogordo take out is $6,750.

Full Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at New Mexico State University - Alamogordo Report

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Law Enforcement & Firefighting students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
16 Rio Salado College Tempe, AZ
17 Laredo College Laredo, TX
18 Southwest Texas Junior College Uvalde, TX
19 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
20 Houston Community College Houston, TX

Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges by State

Explore the best homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 3,897
Texas 8,278
New Mexico 630
Oklahoma 1,017

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

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 25 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.

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