There are more and more jobs becoming available in the United States security industry every day! Security forces are employed by private, public, and government agencies all across the country. After receiving one of the 35 Best Online Bachelor’s in Homeland Security Degrees, you will have more career opportunities in surveillance, protection services, and security jobs.
Homeland security is an industry that is projected to grow by 6 percent within the next eight years, and having a bachelor’s degree can give you that boost to getting a job in the industry. In 2016, there were over 1.1 million wage and salary employees in the security and surveillance industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Our rankings are based on several factors, all of which you can see on our sliding scale under each entry. Check out a more detailed description of our methodology.
What is a Homeland Security degree?
A homeland security degree teaches students what it takes to protect the United States from acts of terrorism and violence. Students will learn all the basics of the criminal justice field along with how to respond to natural and human made disasters.
Lower level classes will introduce the foundations of law and criminal justice, while the upper division courses focus on what it takes to be a special agent or security officer and how to work in such an in demand field.
Consider a broader degree for your bachelor’s, then a more focused master’s program. For instance, a Criminal Justice degree will give you a solid base for future specialties.
How much can you earn with a Homeland Security bachelor’s degree?
According to Glassdoor, special agents working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security make an average of $126,348 a year. Graduates working as operations support specialists and transportation security specialists can make from $54,000 a year to $94,000 annually. The average preferred training for many of the jobs in this field is a bachelor’s degree!
Of course, your earning potential is dependent upon your education, what industry you work in, and in what city you choose to work.
What is required for a Homeland Security degree?
All the programs mentioned in the list have ranging requirements. Schools who have a homeland security degree program typically require students to complete general education courses before they begin the course of their major. Some schools also requires certain documents and test scores for admission into the university.
The need for test scores depends on which program you choose to apply to, and the required amount of time and units vary for each degree. During your courses, you will learn estimation control, quality analysis, project communication, and how to build projects with a group.
What are the best Homeland Security Degrees?
OSR uses six data points: three school-wide and three program specific. For school-wide, OSR uses Student Satisfaction, Admission Rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program specific, OSR checks the Median Debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department.
The six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page.
