Find Criminal Justice Schools in Plano, TX

Updated September 26, 2026

Getting hired as a Plano police officer runs through the department’s own civil-service process: a bachelor’s degree is one qualifying route, alongside qualifying military service, prior sworn patrol experience, or an internal pathway for current city employees. Texas peace-officer licensing is handled separately by TCOLE. The Dallas-Fort Worth area’s median detective salary is $86,110 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Plano hires police officers through its own civil-service system, and that system recognizes more than one way in: a bachelor’s degree, qualifying military service, verified patrol experience at another agency, or, for current city employees only, a pathway built around 60 completed college hours. None of that is the same as Texas peace-officer licensing, which the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) controls statewide, separately from how any one department hires. Here’s how the two systems fit together, what the current wage data actually shows, and where in the Dallas-Fort Worth area you can get the coursework.

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What the Plano Police Department Looks Like

One of the primary justice employers in Plano is the Plano Police Department. The department runs a number of divisions beyond patrol that you could apply to, including:

• Court Security Officer
• Crime Prevention Unit
• Criminal Investigation Unit
• Emergency Service Response Unit
• K-9
• Patrol
• School Resource Officer
• Traffic / Motorcycle
• Narcotics

Plano sits along Dallas Area Rapid Transit‘s rail network, which can shorten the commute to some of the schools in the table below. The list spans from Arlington and Fort Worth to Denton and McKinney, so check each school’s specific campus location and transit access before counting on it.

How Plano Hires, and Where TCOLE Fits In

Plano Police Department’s current eligibility screener lists more than one qualifying path into the hiring process. A bachelor’s degree is one route. The alternatives include qualifying military service, verified experience as a sworn patrol officer with another agency, and, for current City of Plano employees only, a pathway built around 60 completed college hours. Every path still runs through the same civil-service entrance exam, background investigation, and eligibility roster, detailed on the department’s own careers page.

That civil-service process is separate from becoming a licensed Texas peace officer. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) sets the state’s licensing standard, and the standard route runs through TCOLE’s Basic Peace Officer Course (course #1000736, 736 hours) followed by the state licensing examination, subject to alternate and out-of-state pathways TCOLE also recognizes. A department’s own academy prepares you for that department’s job. The TCOLE license is what lets you hold a peace-officer job anywhere in the state.

Criminal Justice Schools in Other Major Texas Cities

• Houston
• San Antonio
• Dallas
• Austin
• Fort Worth

Choosing a Criminal Justice Program

A criminal justice degree typically covers legal studies, corrections, police procedures, and courtroom procedure. Some programs let you pick a concentration partway through, which can prepare you for a more specific interview later. Tuition varies by school and by residency status and changes from year to year, so check a program’s current tuition and fee schedule directly with the school, like UT Arlington’s own tuition and scholarship page, rather than budgeting off an older number. An internship adds hands-on experience and networking a transcript alone doesn’t.

Plano also sits inside a dense network of career-specific associations. The North Texas Paralegal Association, the Plano Police Association, and the Texas Association of Licensed Investigators all give students and working professionals a way to network before they’re job hunting.

Where to Study Near Plano

Sixteen institutions within the Dallas-Fort Worth area appear in federal education data under the criminal-justice-family CIP codes, but the field varies by school: some offer Criminal Justice and Corrections specifically, others Legal Support Services, Fire Protection, or Homeland Security. Check the table below for which family a given institution actually offers before assuming “criminal justice.”

School and program data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, institution file May 2025 and field-of-study file April 2025. Data accessed September 2026. These are federal reporting snapshots, not live enrollment feeds. Confirm current program format, delivery method, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying. *University of Phoenix and DeVry are large multi-campus, online-heavy institutions, so the listed city may reflect an administrative record rather than in-person coursework at that address. Confirm local delivery directly with the school.

Job Outlook for Criminal Justice Graduates in Plano

Your options after graduating depend on which role and agency you target. As of May 2025, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area reports these median salaries (BLS):

• Security guard: $36,680 per year (BLS, May 2025)
• Bailiff: $79,040 per year (BLS, May 2025)
• Correctional officer: $58,930 per year (BLS, May 2025)

Other roles in the same metro area report:

• First-line correctional supervisor: $77,550 per year (BLS, May 2025)
• Detective: $86,110 per year (BLS, May 2025)

Texas Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer positions are projected to grow 8.9% statewide from 2024 to 2034, with about 5,400 average annual openings (ProjectionsCentral).

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for the occupations linked above. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect data for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a college degree to become a police officer in Plano?

Not necessarily, though a bachelor’s degree is one of the Plano Police Department’s current qualifying paths. The alternatives include qualifying military service, verified experience as a sworn patrol officer with another agency, and an internal pathway for current City of Plano employees built around 60 completed college hours. Check the department’s own eligibility screener for current requirements, since these pathways can change.

What’s the difference between Plano’s hiring process and becoming a licensed Texas peace officer?

Plano’s civil-service exam and eligibility roster are how the department decides who it hires. Texas peace-officer licensure is a separate, statewide requirement set by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), typically earned through TCOLE’s Basic Peace Officer Course and the state licensing examination. Passing Plano’s civil-service exam doesn’t substitute for TCOLE licensure, and TCOLE licensure doesn’t guarantee Plano hires you.

Where can I study criminal justice near Plano?

Sixteen Dallas-Fort Worth-area institutions appear in federal education data under criminal-justice-family programs, though not all of them offer a Criminal Justice degree specifically. Dallas College, Collin College, and Tarrant County College offer associate-level Criminal Justice coursework, while UT Arlington, UT Dallas, and the University of North Texas offer it at the bachelor’s and master’s level.

What does the FBI require to become a Special Agent?

The FBI requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university at minimum. For the entry-level GL-10 pay grade, that means a bachelor’s plus two years of full-time professional work experience, or one year with an advanced degree. A separate GL-9 pathway allows a bachelor’s plus one year of sworn law-enforcement experience, or an advanced degree with no additional experience required. There’s no requirement that the degree be in criminal justice specifically.

Key Takeaways

• Plano hires through its own civil-service process – a bachelor’s degree is one qualifying path, not the only one. Military service, patrol experience, and an internal 60-hour pathway also qualify
• Texas peace-officer licensing is separate from local hiring – TCOLE sets the statewide licensing standard through the Basic Peace Officer Course and state exam, independent of any one department’s civil-service process
• Sixteen DFW-area schools offer a criminal-justice-family program – the specific field (Criminal Justice, Legal Support Services, Fire Protection, Homeland Security) varies by school, so check before assuming
• Texas patrol jobs are projected to grow 8.9% statewide from 2024 to 2034 – per ProjectionsCentral, with about 5,400 average annual openings

If Plano PD is the department you’re aiming for, start with the department’s own employment page for the current eligibility screener, study guide, and test dates, straight from the source that’s actually hiring.

Looking beyond this city? Read the full guide to Criminal Justice Schools in Texas.