Best First-Line Supervisors of police officer programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police.
92 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 7,192 people a year. The job pays a median of $111,000 in Texas across about 5,540 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Texas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0104In Texas → | 5,305 | 73.8% | 63 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 43.0103In Texas → | 1,129 | 15.7% | 28 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 3 | CIP 43.0301In Texas → | 383 | 5.3% | 11 | $46,281 | $23,250 |
| 4 | CIP 43.0302In Texas → | 184 | 2.6% | 9 | $46,281 | $23,250 |
| 5 | CIP 43.0102In Texas → | 83 | 1.2% | 9 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 6 | CIP 43.0404In Texas → | 47 | 0.7% | 4 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 7 | CIP 43.0100In Texas → | 38 | 0.5% | 3 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 8 | CIP 43.0303In Texas → | 15 | 0.2% | 3 | $46,281 | $23,250 |
| 9 | CIP 03.0208In Texas → | 8 | 0.1% | 1 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
Top 25 schools in Texas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 60 of the 92 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 905 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $37,792 | 55% | — | 90% |
| 2 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 495 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $32,899 | 51% | — | 94% |
| 3 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 326 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $39,267 | 61% | — | 72% |
| 4 | Dallas College Dallas, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 324 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $35,569 | 32% | — | — |
| 5 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 312 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $36,117 | 55% | — | 89% |
| 6 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 283 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $33,304 | 50% | — | 100% |
| 7 | University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 261 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $42,122 | 33% | — | 90% |
| 8 | El Paso Community College El Paso, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 224 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $25,846 | 24% | — | — |
| 9 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 221 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $34,075 | 43% | — | 92% |
| 10 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 215 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $35,740 | 53% | — | 87% |
| 11 | South Texas College McAllen, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 206 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $25,738 | 27% | — | — |
| 12 | Central Texas College Killeen, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 203 | Homeland Security | — | 11% | — | — |
| 13 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 199 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $43,707 | 37% | — | 86% |
| 14 | Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 198 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $37,578 | 21% | — | — |
| 15 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 190 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $43,186 | 48% | — | 90% |
| 16 | Laredo College Laredo, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 178 | Homeland Security | — | 30% | — | — |
| 17 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 176 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $40,577 | 54% | — | 80% |
| 18 | Texas Southern University Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 111 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $29,763 | 22% | — | 97% |
| 19 | Texas Southmost College Brownsville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 107 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $25,923 | 30% | — | — |
| 20 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 95 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $34,556 | 86% | $25,823 | 44% |
| 21 | Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 93 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $30,127 | 27% | — | — |
| 22 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 87 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $31,823 | 43% | — | 79% |
| 23 | Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 87 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $53,038 | 19% | $20,754 | 56% |
| 24 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 79 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $35,955 | 44% | — | 83% |
| 25 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 72 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $30,739 | 46% | — | 44% |
All 92 schools in Texas
Every school in Texas 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston State University | Huntsville | Public | 905 | 5 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg | Public | 495 | 2 |
| University of North Texas | Denton | Public | 326 | 2 |
| Dallas College | Dallas | Public | 324 | 1 |
| Texas State University | San Marcos | Public | 312 | 2 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso | Public | 283 | 2 |
| University of Houston - Downtown | Houston | Public | 261 | 1 |
| El Paso Community College | El Paso | Public | 224 | 2 |
| East Texas A&M University | Commerce | Public | 221 | 1 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio | Public | 215 | 2 |
| South Texas College | McAllen | Public | 206 | 1 |
| Central Texas College | Killeen | Public | 203 | 2 |
| Lamar University | Beaumont | Public | 199 | 2 |
| Lone Star College System | The Woodlands | Public | 198 | 2 |
| Tarleton State University | Stephenville | Public | 190 | 2 |
What first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Texas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $106,040. Texas pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Texas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Texas
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 Texas.
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/Safety Studies, which awarded 5,305 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 73.8% 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 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. Together they graduate about 7,192 people a year in Texas.
How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Texas?+
The median is $111,000 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.7% above 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 Texas?+
92 institutions in Texas reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card