Best Criminology Schools Near Amarillo, TX (2026)

Amarillo, Texas has 2 accredited schools offering criminology programs, with tuition ranging from $3,720 to $10,996 per year for indexed programs. Amarillo has a population of about 200,945. Median household income is $62,469 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Amarillo, TX metro area, the top-earning criminology-related role is Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer at a median $78,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminology Schools to Amarillo

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminology programs near Amarillo, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amarillo 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 Amarillo. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

West Texas A & M University

Canyon, TX 15.5 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 46.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,741
Avg net price $19,487/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX 209.4 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 55.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,747
Avg net price $11,656/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX 230.8 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 51.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,073
Avg net price $12,723/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Odessa College

Odessa, TX 232.4 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 51.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,026
Avg net price $6,368/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Angelo State University

San Angelo, TX 271.7 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 47.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,116
Avg net price $15,091/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Weatherford College

Weatherford, TX 287.0 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 51.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,397
Avg net price $9,967/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Howard Payne University

Brownwood, TX 291.2 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 30.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,376
Avg net price $23,627/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX 292.5 miles from Amarillo BOC Score 51.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,040
Avg net price $20,783/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Criminology Wages Near Amarillo

Amarillo is part of the Amarillo, TX metro area (BLS area code 11100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
SociologistN/ATX statewide
Detective and Criminal Investigator$74,980Amarillo, TX$81,678
Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$52,610Amarillo, TX$57,309
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$78,900Amarillo, TX$85,948

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.


Amarillo at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population200,945Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$62,469Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+25.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)91.8 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Amarillo-Area Cities With Criminology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminology schools are near Amarillo, TX?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering criminology programs near Amarillo. The closest is West Texas A & M University in Canyon, TX (15.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Clarendon College (55.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminology roles near Amarillo?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminology-related roles near Amarillo are: Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($78,900), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($74,980), Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist ($52,610). 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 Plainview instead of Amarillo?

Plainview, TX is 70.0 miles from Amarillo and has its own set of local criminology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Amarillo an affordable place to study criminology?

Amarillo’s median household income of $62,469 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Amarillo 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 Criminology Programs

Other Programs Available in Amarillo

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

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.