Police and Public Safety Administration Degree Programs in Clarksville, TN (2026)

Quick answer: The Clarksville metro employs about 100 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 Tennessee 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 10 schools within 172 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 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

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 74.1 miles away BOC Score 56.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 53.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 26
  • Annual completions: 1866
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,525 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN 155.4 miles away BOC Score 54.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 14
  • Annual completions: 675
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,377 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Cumberland University

Lebanon, TN 63.3 miles away BOC Score 53.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 46.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 9
  • Annual completions: 117
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,091 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, TN 44.1 miles away BOC Score 52.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 54.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 18
  • Annual completions: 75
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $64,175 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

The University of Tennessee-Martin

Martin, TN 86.0 miles away BOC Score 50.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 53.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 131
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,898 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Tennessee Wesleyan University

Athens, TN 172.2 miles away BOC Score 48.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10
  • Annual completions: 112
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,707 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN 2.6 miles away BOC Score 44.5
Tuition $9,006 - $22,233
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 96.4%
  • Graduation rate: 42.3%
  • Programs offered: 15
  • Annual completions: 495
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,456 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Bethel University

McKenzie, TN 71.8 miles away BOC Score 39.1
Tuition $18,712 - $31,203
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 60.2%
  • Graduation rate: 35.0%
  • Programs offered: 10
  • Annual completions: 212
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $62,152 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN 39.9 miles away BOC Score 34.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 228
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,808 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

What First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Earn in Clarksville

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in the Clarksville area earn a median $76,650 per year, below the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Police and Public Safety Administration Pay in Clarksville, TN

MetricClarksville metroTennesseeNational
Median annual wage$76,650$74,770$106,040
10th percentile$58,670$47,720$63,350
25th percentile$65,360$59,260$81,860
75th percentile$102,160$94,990$132,620
90th percentile$119,820$122,620$165,110
Employment1004,430154,610
Location quotient0.97-1.00

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Clarksville, TN-KY metropolitan statistical area.

What the Numbers Say About This Market

The Clarksville median of $76,650 is below the national median of $106,040, and above the Tennessee statewide median of $74,770 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

The metro’s location quotient of 0.97 means police and detective supervisors are less 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.

Other Tennessee Metro Areas

Metro areaMedian annual wageEmployment
Nashville$94,4201,050
Memphis$79,050940
Knoxville$60,800620
Chattanooga$74,860410
Jackson$67,300240
Johnson City$47,720230
Kingsport$74,970110

Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.


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 Clarksville?

The median annual wage for police and detective supervisors in the Clarksville, TN-KY metro area is $76,650, below the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many police and detective supervisors work in the Clarksville area?

The Clarksville, TN-KY metro area employs about 100 police and detective supervisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Do police and detective supervisors in Clarksville 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 Clarksville?

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 Clarksville a better market than the rest of Tennessee?

The Clarksville metro median is $76,650 against a statewide median of $74,770 (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/.