Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Belton, TX (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Belton, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $3,750 to $74,226 per year for indexed programs. Belton has a population of about 23,769. Median household income is $63,544 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Texas, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $139,990 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Belton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Belton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Belton city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Belton. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

Belton, TX 1.2 miles from Belton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
43.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,132
Avg net price $26,106/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Texas schools on the Texas criminal justice page.

Criminal Justice Wages Near Belton

Belton is part of the Killeen-Temple, TX metro area (BLS area code 28660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $129,430 Killeen-Temple, TX $142,075
Judge or Magistrate $139,990 TX statewide $153,666
Police Supervisor $92,690 Killeen-Temple, TX $101,745
Detective or Criminal Investigator $70,590 Killeen-Temple, TX $77,486
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $70,240 Killeen-Temple, TX $77,102
Correctional Officer $53,090 Killeen-Temple, TX $58,277
Probation Officer $51,740 Killeen-Temple, TX $56,795
Forensic Science Technician $59,870 TX statewide $65,719
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $58,970 Killeen-Temple, TX $64,731
Information Security Analyst $101,100 Killeen-Temple, TX $110,977

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Belton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 23,769 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,544 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 30.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Belton-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Belton, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Belton. The closest is University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX (1.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Baylor University (39.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Belton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Belton are: Judge or Magistrate ($139,990), Attorney ($129,430), Information Security Analyst ($101,100). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Temple instead of Belton?

Temple, TX is 6.3 miles from Belton and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Belton an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Belton’s median household income of $63,544 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Belton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in Belton

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Belton:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Criminal Justice Schools in Texas: Online Programs (2026)