Criminal Justice and Corrections programs in Texas
112 schools in Texas teach this, at certificate or associate level. 35 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $56,415 at Laredo College.
What this work pays in Texas
Security Guards in Texas earn a median of $35,980 a year across 106,210 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $75,900 | 63,100 |
| Managers, All Other | $134,390 | 61,410 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $52,670 | 44,700 |
| Compliance Officers | $75,370 | 42,900 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $55,680 | 21,670 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo College Laredo | Undergraduate certificate | — | $56,415 (40 grads) | 45 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont | Undergraduate certificate | — | $54,661 (20 grads) | 47 |
| Wharton County Junior College Wharton | Undergraduate certificate | — | $50,356 (34 grads) | 11 |
| Weatherford College Weatherford | Associate's degree | — | $47,260 (11 grads) | 4 |
| Austin Community College District Austin | Undergraduate certificate | — | $46,560 (17 grads) | 17 |
| Amarillo College Amarillo | Undergraduate certificate | — | $46,556 (22 grads) | 33 |
| Houston City College Houston | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $46,321 (20 grads) | 47 |
| Del Mar College Corpus Christi | Undergraduate certificate | — | $42,682 (18 grads) | 23 |
| Galveston College Galveston | Undergraduate certificate | — | $42,682 (18 grads) | 14 |
| Grayson College Denison | Undergraduate certificate | — | $42,682 (13 grads) | 37 |
| Southwest Texas College Uvalde | Associate's degree | — | $41,565 (16 grads) | 2 |
| Blinn College District Brenham | Associate's degree | $14,240 | $38,289 (18 grads) | 66 |
| Strayer University-Texas Farmers Branch | Associate's degree | — | $35,810 (17 grads) | 0 |
| Amarillo College Amarillo | Associate's degree | $16,750 | $34,526 (17 grads) | 56 |
| Austin Community College District Austin | Associate's degree | $12,184 | $32,772 (42 grads) | 80 |
| South Plains College Levelland | Associate's degree | — | $32,563 (18 grads) | 37 |
| Odessa College Odessa | Associate's degree | — | $31,133 (17 grads) | 38 |
| Lone Star College System The Woodlands | Associate's degree | $9,091 | $30,771 (25 grads) | 179 |
| Temple College Temple | Associate's degree | $10,570 | $28,960 (19 grads) | 20 |
| McLennan Community College Waco | Associate's degree | $11,209 | $28,236 (27 grads) | 58 |
| Northwest Vista College San Antonio | Associate's degree | — | $28,236 (25 grads) | 1 |
| Laredo College Laredo | Associate's degree | — | $28,055 (40 grads) | 39 |
| Howard College Big Spring | Associate's degree | — | $27,048 (15 grads) | 12 |
| Southwest College for the Deaf Big Spring | Associate's degree | — | $27,048 (15 grads) | 0 |
| Southwest Texas College Uvalde | Undergraduate certificate | — | $26,933 (23 grads) | 90 |
| Trinity Valley Community College Athens | Associate's degree | $9,500 | $25,967 (15 grads) | 4 |
| American InterContinental University-Houston Houston | Associate's degree | $22,625 | $25,542 (168 grads) | 3 |
| San Antonio College San Antonio | Associate's degree | $9,711 | $25,194 (27 grads) | 22 |
| South Texas College McAllen | Associate's degree | — | $24,325 (135 grads) | 332 |
| El Paso Community College El Paso | Associate's degree | $4,308 | $24,267 (104 grads) | 223 |
| Texas Southmost College Brownsville | Associate's degree | $8,000 | $23,113 (14 grads) | 142 |
| Navarro College Corsicana | Associate's degree | $12,500 | $22,329 (15 grads) | 32 |
| Remington College-Dallas Campus Dallas | Associate's degree | $20,000 | $21,595 (279 grads) | 4 |
| Remington College-Fort Worth Campus North Richland Hills | Associate's degree | $20,000 | $21,595 (279 grads) | 0 |
| Palo Alto College San Antonio | Associate's degree | — | $18,087 (22 grads) | 0 |
| Angelina College Lufkin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 25 |
| College of the Mainland Texas City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Dallas College Dallas | Undergraduate certificate | $14,250 | not published | 218 |
| Dallas College Dallas | Associate's degree | $13,113 | not published | 164 |
| South Texas College McAllen | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 27 |
| Tarrant County College District Fort Worth | Associate's degree | $13,168 | not published | 36 |
| Tyler Junior College Tyler | Associate's degree | $8,000 | not published | 73 |
| Alvin Community College Alvin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 34 |
| Alvin Community College Alvin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Angelina College Lufkin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Angelo State University San Angelo | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Blinn College District Brenham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 46 |
| Brazosport College Lake Jackson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 25 |
| Brazosport College Lake Jackson | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Central Texas College Killeen | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 147 |
| Central Texas College Killeen | Associate's degree | — | not published | 63 |
| Cisco College Cisco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Cisco College Cisco | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Clarendon College Clarendon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Coastal Bend College Beeville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Coastal Bend College Beeville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| College of the Mainland Texas City | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| Collin County Community College District McKinney | Associate's degree | — | not published | 88 |
| Dallas Baptist University Dallas | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Dallas Christian College Dallas | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Del Mar College Corpus Christi | Associate's degree | — | not published | 47 |
| El Paso Community College El Paso | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Galveston College Galveston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Grayson College Denison | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
| Hill College Hillsboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Hill College Hillsboro | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
| Houston City College Houston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Howard College Big Spring | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Jacksonville College-Main Campus Jacksonville | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Jarvis Christian University Hawkins | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Kilgore College Kilgore | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont | Associate's degree | — | not published | 17 |
| Lamar State College-Orange Orange | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Lamar State College-Orange Orange | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Lamar State College-Port Arthur Port Arthur | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Lee College Baytown | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Lee College Baytown | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| McLennan Community College Waco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 50 |
| Midland College Midland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Midland College Midland | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Navarro College Corsicana | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 58 |
| North Central Texas College Gainesville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| North Central Texas College Gainesville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Northeast Texas Community College Mount Pleasant | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Northeast Texas Community College Mount Pleasant | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Odessa College Odessa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 69 |
| Panola College Carthage | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Paris Junior College Paris | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Paris Junior College Paris | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Sam Houston State University Huntsville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| San Antonio College San Antonio | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 72 |
| San Jacinto Community College Pasadena | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 153 |
| San Jacinto Community College Pasadena | Associate's degree | — | not published | 42 |
| South Plains College Levelland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| St Philip's College San Antonio | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Tarrant County College District Fort Worth | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 66 |
| Temple College Temple | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 34 |
| Texarkana College Texarkana | Associate's degree | — | not published | 18 |
| Texas Southmost College Brownsville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 31 |
| The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Trinity Valley Community College Athens | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Tyler Junior College Tyler | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 39 |
| Vernon College Vernon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Vernon College Vernon | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Victoria College Victoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Victoria College Victoria | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Wayland Baptist University Plainview | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Weatherford College Weatherford | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Western Texas College Snyder | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Western Texas College Snyder | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Wharton County Junior College Wharton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Wiley University Marshall | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Criminal Justice and Corrections — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.