North Carolina·Protective Service Occupations·SOC 33-1011

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

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and.

79 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,520 people a year. The job pays a median of $67,270 in North Carolina across about 1,090 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCorrectional SupervisorCorrectional Officer CaptainGuard ChiefUnit ManagerWard SupervisorGuard SupervisorShift SupervisorCorrection Warden
Graduates / yr
2,520
in North Carolina
Median pay · North Carolina
$67,270
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,090
people employed
Schools
79
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
43%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,552
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job

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

2 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
12,518
99.9%
78$37,408$24,069
22
0.1%
1$37,408$24,069

Top 25 schools in North Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 36 of the 79 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 North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
167Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$36,15569%80%
2Alamance Community College
Graham, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
138Criminal Justice/Safety Studies39%
3Appalachian State University
Boone, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
120Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$35,79675%90%
4Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
119Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$38,68260%82%
5University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
116Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$35,55344%93%
6Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
115Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$29,01638%82%
7North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
115Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$32,15257%50%
8North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
105Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$33,82942%87%
9Fayetteville Technical Community College
Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
93Criminal Justice/Safety Studies24%
10Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
81Criminal Justice/Safety Studies33%
11Davidson - Davie Community College
Thomasville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
67Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$38,39246%
12Beaufort County Community College
Washington, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
63Criminal Justice/Safety Studies48%
13Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
52Criminal Justice/Safety Studies40%
14High Point University
High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
46Criminal Justice/Safety Studies74%$37,07275%
15Wilkes Community College
Wilkesboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
44Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$41,25155%
16South Piedmont Community College
Polkton, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
42Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$47,74838%
17Randolph Community College
Asheboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
41Criminal Justice/Safety Studies58%
18Pitt Community College
Winterville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
39Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$33,01835%
19Guilford Technical Community College
Jamestown, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
38Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$34,40031%
20Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
37Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$44,61631%
21Winston - Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
32Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$31,56447%78%
22Richmond Community College
Hamlet, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
31Criminal Justice/Safety Studies46%
23University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
31Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$40,63952%$16,47376%
24Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
29Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$48,38834%
25Gaston College
Dallas, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
29Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$50,03863%

All 79 schools in North Carolina

Every school in North Carolina 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 North Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlottePublic1671
Alamance Community CollegeGrahamPublic1381
Appalachian State UniversityBoonePublic1201
Western Carolina UniversityCullowheePublic1191
University of North Carolina at PembrokePembrokePublic1161
Fayetteville State UniversityFayettevillePublic1151
North Carolina A & T State UniversityGreensboroPublic1151
North Carolina Central UniversityDurhamPublic1051
Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayettevillePublic931
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleighPublic811
Davidson - Davie Community CollegeThomasvillePublic671
Beaufort County Community CollegeWashingtonPublic631
Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAshevillePublic521
High Point UniversityHigh PointPrivate not-for-profit461
Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboroPublic441

What first-line supervisors of correctional officers earn in North Carolina

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

Median annual in North Carolina
$67,270
Mean annual
$70,200
Jobs in state
1,090
What the range looks like
10th pct$51,130Median$67,27090th pct$94,300
Versus the national median
-13.7%

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

Job concentration
0.64×

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

Metro areas in North Carolina

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$86,770median
160 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$75,790median
70 jobs
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$71,950median
80 jobs
Wilmington, NC
$68,440median
30 jobs
Fayetteville, NC
$57,910median
30 jobs
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
$62,780median
70 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina.

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 2,518 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 99.9% 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 2,520 people a year in North Carolina.

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

The median is $67,270 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 13.7% 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 North Carolina?+

79 institutions in North Carolina 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 statesTexasCaliforniaFloridaVirginiaArizonaGeorgiaIndianaPennsylvania
Programs in North CarolinaCriminal Justice/Safety Studies

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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