There is one question worth asking in Carrollton before any money changes hands for Level 3 training: is the school actually DPS-approved, and is the person teaching it a DPS-approved instructor? If the answer is no, the certificate is worth nothing.

The Course Material Is Not the School’s to Write

This is the part that surprises people shopping for a class. The Level 3 course material is prepared by and obtained from the Texas Department of Public Safety. A school does not author its own armed-security curriculum, does not get to trim it, and does not get to substitute something it likes better. What it does is deliver the state’s material — and it may only do that if it is a DPS-approved school using a DPS-approved instructor.

That closes a door that stays open one level down. With Level 2 training, a licensed company can have its own designee handle the instruction in-house, which is why so many unarmed officers in the DFW area never set foot in a training school at all — their employer ran the class. Level 3 has no in-house designee option. A security company in Carrollton cannot commission its own people by teaching them itself, no matter how large it is or how experienced its supervisors are.

What to Verify Before You Pay

1. The provider is an approved school, not a company running an internal session and calling it Level 3.
2. The instructor is approved by the department, not merely a senior officer or a range friend.
3. The classroom material is the DPS material — not a rewritten study packet.
4. You are told plainly, in writing, whether the price covers the in-person firearms qualification or only the online portion.
5. You understand that the class is training, not the credential itself. The commission is issued by DPS when you apply for it.

Who the Course Is Actually For

Under 37 TAC §35.141(a)(2), the Level 3 training course is required for anyone seeking a security officer commission — the credential that allows an officer to carry a firearm on duty — and for personal protection officers. That shared requirement is where a lot of confusion starts, so be clear about the difference: Level 3 is the commissioned security officer course. Level 4 is a separate course for personal protection officers, the bodyguard credential, with a minimum of fifteen classroom hours under §35.141(a)(3). They are not the same class and Level 4 is not a higher grade of Level 3.

Two Parts, and Only One of Them Is Online

Part 1 is the classroom half: the law governing armed security work, use of force, the duties that attach to a commission, and the written exam. ETXSTA delivers Part 1 100% online. Part 2 is in person and covers defensive tactics, firearms handling and a firearms proficiency exam. The online course price covers the online training only — the in-person firearms qualification is scheduled separately and is not included, and no part of the online half involves firearms work.

The written exam has a real floor. Under §35.144(c), the minimum passing grade on Level 3 and Level 4 school examinations is 75% — higher than the threshold on the Texas License to Carry written test, which catches out students who assume the two are interchangeable. The range portion will feel more familiar to LTC holders: the firearms proficiency exam is close to identical in format, and under §35.145 the qualification may use the DPS Primary Issued Handgun Qualification Course or the DPS Approved LTC Course. §35.146 also sets out a shotgun course of fire, so qualifying with a shotgun in addition to a handgun is an option.

Why Carrollton Officers Go Armed

Carrollton sits in the thick of the northwest Dallas County logistics belt, where warehouse and distribution operations, light manufacturing and office-park tenants run side by side along the I‑35E and President George Bush Turnpike corridors. Armed posts in that mix tend to be freight and high-value inventory sites, banking and credit union branches, medical offices and gated corporate campuses — the kind of contracts that specify a commissioned officer in the scope of work rather than an unarmed one. Because the commission attaches to the officer and not the employer, Carrollton students routinely use it across Farmers Branch, Addison and Lewisville posts without retraining.

Your Certificates and What DPS Wants

• Under §35.81(a), the commission application requires copies of both your Level 2 and your Level 3 certificates of completion, plus the other items DPS lists — so do not discard the Level 2 paperwork.
• The certificate of completion is referred to on the site as PSP 30.
• Under §35.147, an approved school issues the original certificate to a qualifying student within seven days of qualifying, and keeps training records for 24 months.

Once you hold a commission, keeping it current is its own job — that is what the armed security renewal course is for. You can read the rules for yourself in 37 TAC Chapter 35, confirm licensing details with the Texas DPS Private Security Bureau, and if your situation is unusual our FAQ page covers most of it.