Arkansas·Protective Service Occupations·SOC 33-1011

Best First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officer programs in Arkansas, ranked by enrollment

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and.

22 schools in Arkansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 423 people a year. The job pays a median of $49,590 in Arkansas across about 1,720 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCorrectional SupervisorCorrectional Officer CaptainGuard ChiefUnit ManagerWard SupervisorGuard SupervisorShift SupervisorCorrection Warden
Graduates / yr
423
in Arkansas
Median pay · Arkansas
$49,590
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,720
people employed
Schools
22
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,325
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Arkansas that lead to this job

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

2 programs in Arkansas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Arkansas (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 Arkansas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 43.0104In Arkansas
401
94.8%
21$37,408$24,069
2
CIP 43.0102In Arkansas
22
5.2%
3$37,408$24,069

Top 22 schools in Arkansas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 22 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
114Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$38,08371%74%
2Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
90Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$36,07649%96%
3University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
83Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$40,98942%59%
4University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
22Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$35,53240%41%
5Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
16Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$28,54149%75%
6University of Arkansas at Monticello
Monticello, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
13Criminal Justice/Safety Studies49%
7Ozarka College
Melbourne, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
9Criminal Justice/Safety Studies47%
8University of Arkansas - East Arkansas Community College
Forrest City, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
9Criminal Justice/Safety Studies51%
9Arkansas State University - Beebe
Beebe, AR Public · 2 feeder programs
8Criminal Justice/Safety Studies42%
10North Arkansas College
Harrison, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
8Criminal Justice/Safety Studies42%
11Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Helena, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
7Criminal Justice/Safety Studies55%
12Harding University
Searcy, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$38,81869%$19,42371%
13NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Bentonville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
6Criminal Justice/Safety Studies31%
14Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Criminal Justice/Safety Studies61%$21,32268%
15Southeast Arkansas College
Pine Bluff, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
6Criminal Justice/Safety Studies28%
16John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Criminal Justice/Safety Studies72%$20,32576%
17Arkansas State University Three Rivers
Malvern, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
4Criminal Justice/Safety Studies26%
18Arkansas State University - Newport
Newport, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
3Corrections46%
19Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas
De Queen, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
3Criminal Justice/Safety Studies54%
20Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
3Criminal Justice/Safety Studies37%
21Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
1Criminal Justice/Safety Studies55%82%
22University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville
Batesville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
1Criminal Justice/Safety Studies66%

All 22 schools in Arkansas

Every school in Arkansas 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 Arkansas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of ArkansasFayettevillePublic1141
Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellvillePublic902
University of Arkansas at Little RockLittle RockPublic831
University of Arkansas at Pine BluffPine BluffPublic221
Southern Arkansas University Main CampusMagnoliaPublic161
University of Arkansas at MonticelloMonticelloPublic131
Ozarka CollegeMelbournePublic91
University of Arkansas - East Arkansas Community CollegeForrest CityPublic91
Arkansas State University - BeebeBeebePublic82
North Arkansas CollegeHarrisonPublic81
Phillips Community College of the University of ArkansasHelenaPublic71
Harding UniversitySearcyPrivate not-for-profit61
NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeBentonvillePublic61
Ouachita Baptist UniversityArkadelphiaPrivate not-for-profit61
Southeast Arkansas CollegePine BluffPublic61

What first-line supervisors of correctional officers earn in Arkansas

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

Median annual in Arkansas
$49,590
Mean annual
$52,160
Jobs in state
1,720
What the range looks like
10th pct$39,610Median$49,59090th pct$66,330
Versus the national median
-36.4%

U.S. median $77,970. Arkansas pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
3.85×

Concentrated here: Arkansas employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Arkansas

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
$63,210median
90 jobs
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
$50,580median
190 jobs
Fort Smith, AR-OK
$39,610median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-2.8%
Decline
Openings per year
4,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-1,600
57,100 → 55,500
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent

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 Correctional Officers page.

How to become a First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officer

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

MonitoringActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingReading ComprehensionWriting

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Arkansas

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 43.0100Criminal Justice and Corrections, General
  • 43.0102Corrections
  • 43.0104Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
  • 43.0113Corrections Administration

Common questions

Answers for people weighing first-line supervisors of correctional officers programs in Arkansas.

What degree do you need to become a First-Line Supervisors of Correctional 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/Safety Studies, which awarded 401 degrees in Arkansas in 2024-25, 94.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections. Together they graduate about 423 people a year in Arkansas.

How much do first-line supervisors of correctional officers earn in Arkansas?+

The median is $49,590 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 36.4% below the U.S. median of $77,970. 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 correctional officers growing?+

BLS projects a -2.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 4,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

22 institutions in Arkansas reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 correctional officers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Correctional Supervisor, Correctional Officer Captain among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-1011.

First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers in other statesTexasCaliforniaFloridaVirginiaArizonaNorth CarolinaGeorgiaIndiana

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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