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2025 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in North Carolina

34 Colleges in North Carolina
5,112 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$43,210 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #12 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 34 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 5,112 degrees in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting School

Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in North Carolina Your choice of homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Bachelor's Degrees in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Master's Degrees in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in North Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting in North Carolina

The schools below may not offer all types of homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
260 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$36,155 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #367 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were roughly 260 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program state that they receive average early career earnings of $36,155.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
210 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$36,644 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat East Carolina University if you want to pursue a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting. ECU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 210 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting degree recipients generally make an average of $36,644 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from East Carolina University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

Appalachian State University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 145 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program earn an average of $35,796 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from Appalachian State University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
149 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$38,682 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Western Carolina University if you wish to pursue a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting. WCU is a large public university located in the town of Cullowhee. This university ranks 36th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 149 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting degree recipients usually earn about $38,682 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from Western Carolina University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
150 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$35,553 Median Starting Salary

UNC Pembroke is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Pembroke. This university ranks 48th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 150 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at UNC Pembroke in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program state that they receive average early career earnings of $35,553.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from University of North Carolina at Pembroke

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$22,389 Median Starting Salary

Forsyth Tech is a medium-sized public college located in the large city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #1080 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Forsyth Tech is a great college overall.

There were approximately 97 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at Forsyth Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program report average early career earnings of $22,389.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from Forsyth Technical Community College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$44,616 Median Starting Salary

Central Piedmont Community College is a large public college located in the large city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #572 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Central Piedmont Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 101 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program report average early career income of $44,616.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from Central Piedmont Community College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
$46,993 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Salisbury, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 50th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 109 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College get $3,783 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded
19.6% Growth in Graduates

North Carolina Wesleyan College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Rocky Mount. A Best Colleges rank of #1110 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means North Carolina Wesleyan College is a great college overall.

There were about 107 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at North Carolina Wesleyan College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program report average early career income of $33,735.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from North Carolina Wesleyan College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In NC
138 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #461 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wake Technical Community College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 138 homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting students who graduated with this degree at Wake Technical Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting from Wake Technical Community College

Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 38 2,467
Mississippi 38 639
South Carolina 38 1,049
Florida 38 6,408
Virginia 38 3,445
Arkansas 38 711
Alabama 37 2,862
Kentucky 37 1,255
Georgia 37 2,332
Tennessee 37 1,310
Louisiana 37 1,108

View All Rankings >

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Corrections 4,320
Fire Protection 343
Security Science and Technology 260
Homeland Security 156
Other Homeland Security 33

View All Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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