Best Online Homeland Security Programs in Santa Clara, CA (2026)

Santa Clara, California has 4 accredited schools offering homeland security programs. Santa Clara has a population of about 129,239. Median household income is $173,670 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 65.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning homeland security-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $173,540 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Homeland Security Schools to Santa Clara

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

#1

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 1.8 miles from Santa Clara BOC Score 77.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Mission College

Santa Clara, CA 2.1 miles from Santa Clara BOC Score 52.6
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,936
Avg net price $5,080/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California homeland security page.


Homeland Security Wages Near Santa Clara

Santa Clara is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Emergency Management Director$173,540San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$157,192
Detective and Criminal Investigator$158,640San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$143,696
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$136,140San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$123,315
Transportation Security Screener$78,940San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$71,504

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.


Santa Clara at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population129,239Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$173,670Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+65.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Clara-Area Cities With Homeland Security Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited homeland security schools are near Santa Clara, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering homeland security programs near Santa Clara. The closest is De Anza College in Cupertino, CA (5.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pacific Union College (87.2 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying homeland security roles near Santa Clara?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying homeland security-related roles near Santa Clara are: Emergency Management Director ($173,540), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($158,640), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($136,140). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sunnyvale instead of Santa Clara?

Sunnyvale, CA is 3.5 miles from Santa Clara and has its own set of local homeland security programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Clara an affordable place to study homeland security?

Santa Clara’s median household income of $173,670 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Clara while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Homeland Security Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Clara

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.