People who want to become Texas game wardens or state park police officers have until Dec. 31 to apply for the next training class, state parks and wildlife officials announced Monday.
Applications for the department's 70th law enforcement cadet class opened Nov. 1 on the TPWD website. Those selected will spend 35 weeks living at the department's training center for game wardens near Hamilton, in an academy that begins Oct. 1, 2027. The department describes the selection process as highly competitive.
Who can apply
Applicants must turn 21 no later than Oct. 1, 2027, and no one is too old to apply.
A bachelor's degree from an accredited school is required by June 30, 2027. Someone without a degree can still qualify by pairing 60 or more college credit hours with either two years in the active-duty military, ending in an honorable discharge, or a two-year stint working full time as a commissioned peace officer.
TPWD does not accept lateral transfers, so every cadet completes the full academy regardless of earlier certifications.
Candidates also go through a background investigation, psychological and medical exams and a physical test. The physical test includes a handgun stability check, a four-minute session on a rowing machine, 13 push-ups and 22 sit-ups.
The swim portion starts with a backward fall into the pool, then a minute of treading water with no help from the walls or floor, then 100 meters in 2 minutes 30 seconds at most.
