Criminal Justice Schools in San Antonio, TX

Updated September 25, 2026

San Antonio has eight area colleges and universities offering a criminal-justice-family program, from two-year associate degrees at the Alamo Colleges to a master’s at UTSA. Security guards, correctional officers, detectives, and correctional supervisors all earn less here than their national medians, per May 2025 BLS wage data. Peace officers and private security guards are licensed separately by the state, not hired under one universal set of rules. VIA Metro Transit’s student fares make commuting to any of the eight schools workable without a car.

San Antonio runs on its criminal justice workforce. The San Antonio Police Department fields dedicated units, including a Homicide Unit and a Special Victims Unit, and the county’s jails, courts, and probation offices employ thousands more people who never wear a badge. If you’re looking to break into the field here, eight local schools teach it, and the wage and licensing information below can help you figure out where you’d fit before you commit to a program.

Featured Programs:

Criminal Justice Schools in Other Major Texas Cities

Choosing an Associate or Bachelor’s Program in San Antonio

An associate degree in criminal justice typically runs about two years and combines general education with courses like criminal justice ethics, criminology, and court procedures, though the exact curriculum varies by school.

A bachelor’s degree covers similar ground in more depth, and many programs let you choose a concentration in areas like forensics, homeland security, or law enforcement leadership. What any given concentration does for your career depends on the specific job and agency you’re targeting, so check that employer’s own hiring standards before choosing one.

At the University of Texas at San Antonio, full-time undergraduate tuition and fees run about $11,476 a year for Texas residents and about $28,318 a year for non-residents, based on 15 credit hours per semester. Actual charges depend on course load and any program-specific fees. See UTSA’s current Cost of Attendance page for the exact figures for your situation. Federal financial aid eligibility depends on the specific school and program, not just accreditation, so confirm your options directly with the school’s financial aid office and at StudentAid.gov.

Groups like the Texas Jail Association, the San Antonio Paralegal Association, and the San Antonio Police Officers Association offer networking and professional-development opportunities for students and working professionals in the field.

Where to Study Criminal Justice in San Antonio

Eight San Antonio institutions offer a criminal-justice-family program at some credential level, per U.S. Department of Education data. None are classified as distance-only institutions in that data. That classification applies to the school as a whole, though, not to each specific program, so individual programs may still be offered online, hybrid, or in person. Check with each school directly.

School	Type	Programs Offered
Northwest Vista College	Public, 2-year	Criminal Justice, Associate’s
Palo Alto College	Public, 2-year	Criminal Justice, Associate’s
St Philip’s College	Public, 2-year	Criminal Justice, Associate’s; Legal Support Services, Associate’s and Undergraduate Certificate
San Antonio College	Public, 4-year	Criminal Justice, Associate’s and Undergraduate Certificate; Legal Support Services, Associate’s and Undergraduate Certificate; Fire Protection, Associate’s and Undergraduate Certificate
Our Lady of the Lake University	Private nonprofit, 4-year	Criminal Justice, Bachelor’s
St. Mary’s University	Private nonprofit, 4-year	Criminal Justice, Bachelor’s; Security Science and Technology, Bachelor’s
University of the Incarnate Word	Private nonprofit, 4-year	Criminal Justice, Bachelor’s
University of Texas at San Antonio	Public, 4-year	Criminal Justice, Bachelor’s and Master’s

This reflects what schools reported to the Department of Education as of the April 2025 field-of-study file, not necessarily today’s course catalog. Confirm current program names, credential levels, format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying.

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.

What Criminal Justice Jobs Pay in San Antonio

Here’s what four criminal-justice-family occupations pay in the San Antonio metro area, per May 2025 BLS wage data, compared to the national median for the same job. These are occupational wage medians, not starting pay at any specific employer.

Occupation	San Antonio Median Wage	National Median Wage
Security Guards	$35,270	$38,020
Correctional Officers and Jailers	$51,310	$58,940
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$83,830	$93,790
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$70,250	$77,970

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Security Guards, Correctional Officers and Jailers, Detectives and Criminal Investigators, and First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers (nearest available OOH profile: Correctional Officers and Bailiffs). Figures reflect data for the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions at any individual employer may vary. Data accessed September 2026.

Texas Licensing Requirements for These Careers

Texas regulates several of these jobs directly, separately from whatever any individual department requires. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) is the state’s licensing authority for peace officers and lists the Basic Peace Officer Course among the courses required for licensure. Completing a TCOLE-approved academy and passing the state licensing exam is a Texas requirement, not a single nationwide “police exam.”

Security work is licensed differently. The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Private Security Program requires non-commissioned security officers to complete Level II training, and commissioned (armed) security officers to complete both Level II and Level III training. These are state licensing requirements, not employer policy.

An individual agency can add its own standards on top of what the state requires. The San Antonio Police Department runs its own hiring process, separate from TCOLE licensing, for its officers; see the SAPD careers page directly for its current requirements and pay structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What degree or license do I need for a criminal justice job in San Antonio?

It depends on the job. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) sets the state licensing requirements for peace officers, including a TCOLE-approved academy course. Private security officers are licensed separately through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Private Security Program. A bachelor’s degree is required to become an FBI Special Agent, but education requirements for detective, supervisory, and other federal roles vary by agency, so check the specific job posting.

How much do security guards and correctional officers make in San Antonio?

Security guards in the San Antonio metro area earn a median of $35,270 a year, and correctional officers and jailers earn $51,310, per May 2025 BLS wage data. Both are occupational medians, not starting pay, and both run below the national median for the same jobs.

Can I get to class in San Antonio without a car?

Yes. VIA Metropolitan Transit runs bus and Primo service citywide, with daily, weekly, and monthly passes and discounted student rates, so commuting to any of the eight local schools is workable without a vehicle.

What’s the difference between an associate and bachelor’s degree in criminal justice?

An associate degree typically takes about two years and covers core coursework like criminal justice ethics, criminology, and court procedures. A bachelor’s takes about four years, covers similar material in more depth, and often lets you choose a concentration. Which one a specific job requires depends on the employer, so check their posting directly.

Key Takeaways

Eight local schools: from two-year Alamo Colleges campuses to UTSA’s master’s program, teach criminal justice in San Antonio, per federal education data.
Wages vary by occupation: San Antonio’s medians for security guards, correctional officers, detectives, and correctional supervisors all run below their national figures, per May 2025 BLS data.
Licensing is state-specific, not universal: TCOLE licenses Texas peace officers and Texas DPS licenses private security officers separately, each with its own training requirements.
VIA Transit removes the car barrier: student fares make every school on this list reachable by bus.

Still deciding between an associate and a bachelor’s? The tuition and financial aid details above are a starting point, but every school’s own admissions office can tell you exactly what a given program costs and covers before you enroll.

Looking for a Criminal Justice Program in Another Texas City?

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