Best Online Homeland Security Programs in Houston, TX (2026)

Houston, Texas has 4 accredited schools offering homeland security programs, with tuition ranging from $9,228 to $25,505 per year for indexed programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning homeland security-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $109,140 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Homeland Security Schools to Houston

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

#1

University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, TX 2.5 miles from Houston BOC Score 56.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,551
Avg net price $10,542/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

South Texas College of Law Houston

Houston, TX 2.9 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact

Source:Accreditor: American Bar AssociationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Houston Community College

Houston, TX 3.2 miles from Houston BOC Score 46.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,254
Avg net price $5,737/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 93

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of St Thomas

Houston, TX 3.4 miles from Houston BOC Score 63.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 90%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,224
Avg net price $19,359/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,634
Out‑of‑state$34,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX 5.0 miles from Houston BOC Score 32.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $16,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, TX 5.3 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, TX 5.5 miles from Houston BOC Score 95.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,232
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Houston

Houston, TX 5.6 miles from Houston BOC Score 73.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,377
Avg net price $14,276/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Homeland Security Wages Near Houston

Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Emergency Management Director$109,140Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$110,690
Detective and Criminal Investigator$86,390Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$87,617
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$74,570Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$75,629
Transportation Security Screener$68,640TX statewide$69,615

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.


Houston at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population2,300,419Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$62,894Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+36.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)98.6 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Houston-Area Cities With Homeland Security Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited homeland security schools are near Houston, TX?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering homeland security programs near Houston. The closest is Texas Southern University in Houston, TX (5.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (80.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying homeland security roles near Houston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying homeland security-related roles near Houston are: Emergency Management Director ($109,140), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($86,390), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($74,570). 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 Pearland instead of Houston?

Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston 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 Houston an affordable place to study homeland security?

Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston 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 Homeland Security Programs

Other Programs Available in Houston

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

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 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.