2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in South Dakota
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 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 Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 7 schools in South Dakota to see which 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 in Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Our analysis found Lake Area Technical Institute to be the best value school for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students who want to pursue a degree in South Dakota. LATI is a small public school located in the remote town of Watertown.
LATI undergraduate students pay an average of $6,718 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from LATI take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
LATI also made our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in South Dakota list, coming in at #5.
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The excellent programs at Southeast Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting schools in South Dakota. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southeast Tech are $7,650 a year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Southeast Tech take out is $12,000.
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Out of the 7 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Dakota landed the # 3 spot on the list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USD are $9,432 per year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at USD take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $136, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Dakota Technical Institute. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in South Dakota list. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Western Dakota Tech are $8,332 a year. After completing their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from Western Dakota Tech carry an average student debtload of $12,719.
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University of Sioux Falls came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in South Dakota ranking. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of Sioux Falls are $19,900 a year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at University of Sioux Falls take out is $26,950.
Full Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting at University of Sioux Falls 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 |
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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 7 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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