2023 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
8
Ranked Colleges
726
Degrees Awarded
$53,823
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 142,610 people earned their degree in homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,355 and had an average of $25,230 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 3,921 homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,999 and $29,611 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s”.
Top 8 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 494 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees to qualified students.
Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Of the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. In addition to receiving other benefits, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Liberty University]](/colleges/liberty-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 102 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.According to our most recent data, George Mason University supports 38,541 students, and 2,334 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,583 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,710. On top of their other funding sources, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at GMU]](/colleges/george-mason-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #3 spot on the list. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree vets studying homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting list, VCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Among the 29,070 students enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,085. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend ECPI University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 4 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
ECPI University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.According to our most recent data, ECPI University supports 14,353 students, and 12 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 9 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,344. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. ECPI University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full ECPI University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Averett University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s. Averett University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Danville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
AU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Of the 887 students enrolled at Averett University, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,806. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Averett University]](/colleges/averett-university/student-life/veterans/)
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree vets studying homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting list, Radford has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford University, 460 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Radford University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Radford]](/colleges/radford-university/student-life/veterans/)
South University, Virginia Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. South University, Virginia Beach is a small private for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 5 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
South University, Virginia Beach not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Of the 403 students enrolled at South University, Virginia Beach, 158 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 143 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,966. On top of their other funding sources, 10 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. South University, Virginia Beach offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full South University, Virginia Beach Veteran Student Life Report
Virginia State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting for a Master’s ranking. Virginia State is a small public school situated in Petersburg, Virginia. It awarded 9 masters’s homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Of the 4,020 students enrolled at Virginia State, 368 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 112 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,578. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Virginia State University Veteran Student Life Report
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
college factual
