Police and Public Safety Administration Degree Programs in Urban Honolulu, HI (2026)

Quick answer: The Urban Honolulu metro employs about 490 police and detective supervisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state peace officer standards and training commission.

Compare police and public safety administration programs enrolling now:

Licensing

Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Sworn officers are certified by a state peace-officer standards and training commission, not by a degree, and promotion to sergeant or above is governed by the employing agency’s own process. What a degree does here is satisfy the educational requirement many agencies attach to command ranks and to federal law enforcement hiring. Requirements differ agency by agency as well as state by state.

See the Hawaii licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state peace officer standards and training commission.

Schools Near You

Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 2 schools within 30 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 2 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Honolulu, HI 26.9 miles away BOC Score 40.9
Tuition $30,874 - $45,798
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 91.4%
  • Graduation rate: 56.7%
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 57
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,437 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Hawaii Pacific University

Honolulu, HI 30.5 miles away BOC Score 37.2
Tuition $34,392 - $50,674
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 85.9%
  • Graduation rate: 37.8%
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 91
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,128 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

What First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Earn in Urban Honolulu

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in the Urban Honolulu area earn a median $140,590 per year, above the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Police and Public Safety Administration Pay in Urban Honolulu, HI

MetricUrban Honolulu metroHawaiiNational
Median annual wage$140,590$140,590$106,040
10th percentile$112,860$110,620$63,350
25th percentile$112,860$112,860$81,860
75th percentile$140,590$140,590$132,620
90th percentile$173,330$140,590$165,110
Employment490700154,610
Location quotient1.11-1.00

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Urban Honolulu, HI metropolitan statistical area.

What the Numbers Say About This Market

The Urban Honolulu median of $140,590 is above the national median of $106,040, and level with the Hawaii statewide median of $140,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

The metro’s location quotient of 1.11 means police and detective supervisors are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.

Command positions exist where the agencies are. Metro population, the number of municipal departments and the presence of state or federal offices all drive demand.


Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do police and detective supervisors make in Urban Honolulu?

The median annual wage for police and detective supervisors in the Urban Honolulu, HI metro area is $140,590, above the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many police and detective supervisors work in the Urban Honolulu area?

The Urban Honolulu, HI metro area employs about 490 police and detective supervisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Do police and detective supervisors in Urban Honolulu need a license?

Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Sworn officers are certified by a state peace-officer standards and training commission, not by a degree, and promotion to sergeant or above is governed by the employing agency's own process. What a degree does here is satisfy the educational requirement many agencies attach to command ranks and to federal law enforcement hiring. Requirements differ agency by agency as well as state by state. Confirm current requirements with your state peace officer standards and training commission.

Can I study police and public safety administration online from Urban Honolulu?

The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state peace officer standards and training commission.

Is Urban Honolulu a better market than the rest of Hawaii?

The Urban Honolulu metro median is $140,590 against a statewide median of $140,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.

Sources

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives (SOC 33-1012), national, state and metropolitan estimates
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements

About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.