Law Enforcement Programs Near Austin, TX: What Are the Top Schools?

Learn about law enforcement and criminal justice programs in the Austin, TX area. Get information about degrees available, admission and program requirements to make an informed decision about your education. Schools offering Law Enforcement degrees can also be found in these popular choices.

Salary Information for Law Enforcement Professionals in Austin

To work as a police officer in Austin, you must be between the ages of 21-45 and have prior military or police experience or at least 30 credit hours of college-level study. You must also pass a physical examination and attend a 32-week training academy. Peace officers in Texas must be certified by the state through an examination. Corrections officers must pass a test administered by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

According to a May 2011 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of law enforcement officers in the Austin-Round Rock area depended on their job title. Corrections officers and jailers earned an annual salary of about $40,000, while police patrol officers an average salary of approximately $54,000.

Certificate Programs in Law Enforcement

Austin Community College

  • Program Name: Certificate - Texas Peace Officer
  • Program Length: One year
  • Tuition: $62 per credit hour for in-district Texas residents; $224 for non-district Texas residents; $308 per credit hour for out-of-state students
  • Prerequisites: A prospective certificate holder must have or obtain an associate degree by the time they complete this sequence of courses.
  • School Type: 2-year, public; 45,100 (all undergraduate)
  • Address: 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, Texas 78752
  • Phone Number: (512) 223-7000

Austin Community College's Texas peace officer's certificate focuses on court systems and practices, criminal investigation and peace officer training. It also includes a capstone project. Upon graduation, you will be eligible to apply to sit for the state Peace Office Licensing Exam. To earn this certificate, one must complete an associate's degree or have that degree prior to completion of the certificate program.

Associate Degree Programs in Law Enforcement in Austin, TX

Austin Community College

  • Program Name: Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice
  • Fields of Study: Law enforcement or corrections
  • Program Length: Two years (full-time)
  • Tuition: $62 per credit hour for in-district Texas residents; $224 for non-district Texas residents; $308 per credit hour for out-of-state students
  • School Type: 2-year, public; 45,100 (all undergraduate)
  • Address: 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, Texas 78752
  • Phone Number: (512) 223-7000

The college offers an associate's degree program in criminal justice. This program provides an overview of criminal procedures, criminal law, investigations and police systems. In this program, you may also choose to concentrate your studies on law enforcement or corrections. In the former specialization, you learn about police systems and practices, the juvenile justice system and criminal investigations. In the latter specialization you learn about probation and parole theories and methods, corrections systems and community corrections. A capstone project is included in each of the three associate's degree programs.

Texas State University - San Marcos

  • Program Name: Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice
  • Field of Study Option: Criminal justice, corrections or law enforcement
  • Program Length: Two years (full-time)
  • Tuition: $217 per credit hour for resident undergraduates; $530 per credit hour for non-resident undergraduates
  • School Type: 4-year, public; 32,572 enrolled (as of Fall 2010)
  • Address: 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666-4684
  • Phone Number: (512) 245-2111

In the criminal justice associate degree program, you'll have the option to study specific topics, like law enforcement or criminal justice, or you can take the general track. Each program includes options that allow for an internship, or add classes if you choose not to take an internship. As a student in the corrections degree plan, you can expect to take courses in mid-level management in criminal justice, treatment in community and institutional corrections and contemporary legal issues in corrections. Without an internship, you'll take an elective. In the law enforcement concentration, you'll take courses in crime theory and victimization, forensic evidence and research in criminal justice. The general curriculum includes the same courses, but with an internship, you'll also complete nine credit hours in electives; without the internship, that number increases to 12. You may have to complete 6-8 hours of a foreign language, if two years were not completed in high school.

Bachelor's Degree Programs in Law Enforcement in Austin, TX

Huston-Tilotson University

  • Program Name:' 'Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
  • Program Length: Four years (full-time)
  • Tuition: $13,054 per year (as of 2012)
  • School Type: 4-year, private, not-for-profit; 904 (857 undergraduate)
  • Address: 900 Chicon St, Austin, Texas 78702-2795
  • Phone Number: (512) 505-3000

In HTU's Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program, you can expect to take courses in criminal and police procedures, juvenile justice and ethics. You'll complete an internship. In your studies, you'll explore how the criminal justice system fits in society and learn about the technical aspects of law enforcement, like crime scene reconstruction and evidence gathering.

Texas State University - San Marcos

  • Program Name: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
  • Field of Study Option: Criminal justice, corrections or law enforcement
  • Program Length: Four years full-time
  • Tuition: $217 per credit hour for resident undergraduates; $530 per credit hour for non-resident undergraduates
  • School Type: 4-year, public; 32,572 enrolled (as of Fall 2010)
  • Address: 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666-4684
  • Phone Number: (512) 245-2111

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice offers three tracks - general criminal justice, corrections or law enforcement. In the law enforcement program, you'll have the opportunity to complete an internship or complete extra courses in the non-internship track. You can expect to take courses like juvenile justice and crime theory and victimization. The non -internship track will complete an additional elective course.

In the corrections track, you'll also have the option to take an internship or complete an additional elective. You can expect to take courses in criminal justice research, treatment in corrections and legal issues in corrections. The general criminal justice track includes courses in 12 credit hours in electives for the non-internship track and two terms in an internship. Most of the required courses are the same, but a course in comparative criminal justice is also required.

Master's Degree Programs in Criminal Justice in Austin, TX

Texas State University - San Marcos

  • Program Name: Master of Science in Criminal Justice
  • Program Length:
  • Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice
  • Admission Requirements: GRE scores, 3.0 GPA in undergraduate studies
  • Tuition: $217 per credit hour for resident undergraduates; $530 per credit hour for non-resident undergraduates; $267 per credit hour for resident graduate students; $580 per credit hour for non-resident graduate students
  • School Type: 4-year, public; 32,572 enrolled (as of Fall 2010)
  • Address: 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666-4684
  • Phone Number: (512) 245-2111

You'll have to complete 36 credit hours in criminal justice, but you'll have the option to complete a thesis or take the non-thesis route. You'll study administration of justice, current legal issues in criminal justice, advanced criminological theory and management principles. If you choose not to complete a thesis, you'll complete a professional paper.

To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:

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