Best Online Homeland Security Programs in San Marcos, TX (2026)

San Marcos, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering homeland security programs, with tuition ranging from $2,550 to $48,004 per year for indexed programs. San Marcos has a population of about 68,920. Median household income is $51,030 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, the top-earning homeland security-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $100,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Homeland Security Schools to San Marcos

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

#1

Total Transformation Institute of Cosmetology

San Marcos, TX 0.8 miles from San Marcos BOC Score 53.5
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 75%
Avg net price $16,754/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX 0.9 miles from San Marcos BOC Score 64.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,906
Avg net price $16,805/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 61

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Homeland Security Wages Near San Marcos

San Marcos is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (BLS area code 12420). 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$100,920Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$102,875
Detective and Criminal Investigator$78,970Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$80,499
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$82,290Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$83,884
Transportation Security Screener$62,820Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$64,037

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.


San Marcos at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population68,920Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$51,030Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)98.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other San Marcos-Area Cities With Homeland Security Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited homeland security schools are near San Marcos, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering homeland security programs near San Marcos. The closest is Austin Community College District in Austin, TX (33.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Central Texas College (85.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying homeland security roles near San Marcos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying homeland security-related roles near San Marcos are: Emergency Management Director ($100,920), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($82,290), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($78,970). 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 Kyle instead of San Marcos?

Kyle, TX is 9.5 miles from San Marcos 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 San Marcos an affordable place to study homeland security?

San Marcos’s median household income of $51,030 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Marcos 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 San Marcos

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

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.