Arizona·Protective Service Occupations·SOC 33-1012

Best First-Line Supervisors of police officer programs in Arizona, ranked by enrollment

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police.

26 schools in Arizona run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,876 people a year. The job pays a median of $104,850 in Arizona across about 2,790 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledLieutenantPolice CaptainPatrol SergeantPolice SergeantCaptainPort WardenChief DeputyPolice Chief
Graduates / yr
4,876
in Arizona
Median pay · Arizona
$104,850
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,790
people employed
Schools
26
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
27%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,535
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Arizona that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

7 programs in Arizona that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Arizona (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arizona page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 43.0103In Arizona
1,678
34.4%
9$37,408$24,069
2
CIP 43.0102In Arizona
1,001
20.5%
10$37,408$24,069
3
CIP 43.0104In Arizona
983
20.2%
20$37,408$24,069
4
CIP 43.0100In Arizona
666
13.7%
3$37,408$24,069
5
CIP 43.0302In Arizona
350
7.2%
6$46,281$23,250
6
CIP 43.0301In Arizona
196
4.0%
4$46,281$23,250
7
CIP 43.0404In Arizona
2
0.0%
1$40,889$25,000

Top 25 schools in Arizona

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 9 of the 26 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Rio Salado College
Tempe, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs
963Corrections$51,3849%
2University of Phoenix - Arizona
Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
839Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration$47,98721%$15,478
3American InterContinental University System
Chandler, AZ Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs
657Criminal Justice and Corrections, General$35,8629%$15,785
4Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale, AZ Public · 4 feeder programs
485Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration$42,1870%67%
5The University of Arizona Global Campus
Chandler, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
415Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$47,86911%$26,445
6Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
324Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management$68,50343%$21,53579%
7Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ Public · 4 feeder programs
309Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration$42,18768%90%
8University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
175Criminal Justice and Corrections, General68%86%
9Estrella Mountain Community College
Avondale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
139Criminal Justice/Safety Studies32%
10Glendale Community College
Glendale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
129Criminal Justice/Safety Studies16%
11Mesa Community College
Mesa, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
96Criminal Justice/Safety Studies16%
12Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs
69Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration20%
13Phoenix College
Phoenix, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
62Criminal Justice/Safety Studies14%
14Chandler - Gilbert Community College
Chandler, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
59Criminal Justice/Safety Studies30%
15Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
46Criminal Justice/Safety Studies17%
16Paradise Valley Community College
Phoenix, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
19Criminal Justice/Safety Studies19%
17Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs
18Criminal Justice/Safety Studies61%90%
18Northland Pioneer College
Holbrook, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
15Criminal Justice and Corrections, General22%
19Yavapai College
Prescott, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
15Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$59,51134%
20South Mountain Community College
Phoenix, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
12Criminal Justice/Safety Studies16%
21Pima Community College
Tucson, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
7Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$42,09628%
22Coconino Community College
Flagstaff, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
6Corrections24%
23Mohave Community College
Kingman, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
6Criminal Justice/Safety Studies38%
24Central Arizona College
Coolidge, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
5Criminal Justice/Safety Studies27%
25Eastern Arizona College
Thatcher, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
4Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration42%

All 26 schools in Arizona

Every school in Arizona with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Arizona that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Rio Salado CollegeTempePublic9633
University of Phoenix - ArizonaPhoenixPrivate for-profit8391
American InterContinental University SystemChandlerPrivate for-profit6574
Arizona State University Digital ImmersionScottsdalePublic4854
The University of Arizona Global CampusChandlerPublic4152
Grand Canyon UniversityPhoenixPrivate not-for-profit3244
Arizona State University Campus ImmersionTempePublic3094
University of ArizonaTucsonPublic1752
Estrella Mountain Community CollegeAvondalePublic1392
Glendale Community CollegeGlendalePublic1292
Mesa Community CollegeMesaPublic962
Arizona Western CollegeYumaPublic693
Phoenix CollegePhoenixPublic622
Chandler - Gilbert Community CollegeChandlerPublic591
Scottsdale Community CollegeScottsdalePublic462

What first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Arizona

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Arizona
$104,850
Mean annual
$113,270
Jobs in state
2,790
What the range looks like
10th pct$81,350Median$104,85090th pct$158,610
Versus the national median
-1.1%

U.S. median $106,040. Arizona pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.87×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Arizona

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$114,520median
1,540 jobs
Flagstaff, AZ
$106,270median
110 jobs
Tucson, AZ
$101,570median
450 jobs
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
$100,770median
70 jobs
Yuma, AZ
$99,370median
120 jobs
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
$100,770median
100 jobs
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ
$97,100median
140 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+2.9%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
10,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,600
160,800 → 165,400
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives page.

How to become a First-Line Supervisors of police officer

Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Top skills

MonitoringActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingReading ComprehensionActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Arizona

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 19 majors mapped to First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives16 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 03.0208Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
  • 29.0203Signal/Geospatial Intelligence
  • 43.0100Criminal Justice and Corrections, General
  • 43.0102Corrections
  • 43.0103Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
  • 43.0104Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
  • 43.0115Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management(no graduates reported)
  • 43.0119Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations
  • 43.0120Protective Services Operations
  • 43.0122Maritime Law Enforcement(no graduates reported)
  • 43.0123Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection(no graduates reported)
  • 43.0301Homeland Security
  • 43.0302Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management
  • 43.0303Critical Infrastructure Protection
  • 43.0304Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations
  • 43.0401Security Science and Technology, General
  • 43.0404Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy
  • 43.0407Geospatial Intelligence
  • 43.0499Security Science and Technology, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing first-line supervisors of police and detectives programs in Arizona.

What degree do you need to become a First-Line Supervisors of police officer?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration, which awarded 1,678 degrees in Arizona in 2024-25, 34.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a First-Line Supervisors of police officer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology. Together they graduate about 4,876 people a year in Arizona.

How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Arizona?+

The median is $104,850 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.1% below the U.S. median of $106,040. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for first-line supervisors of police and detectives growing?+

BLS projects a +2.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Arizona?+

26 institutions in Arizona reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do first-line supervisors of police and detectives work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Lieutenant, Police Captain, Patrol Sergeant, Police Sergeant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-1012.

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in other statesCaliforniaTexasFloridaNew YorkVirginiaGeorgiaNorth CarolinaPennsylvania

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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