Law Enforcement Degree

A law enforcement degree helps to prepare students for the four to six-month agency-specific police academies that act as a law enforcement boot camp. That does not mean that police departments and sheriff’s offices discount these degrees.

In fact, many police departments around the United States require at least 60 credits in college experience. Many hiring officers look highly on those with coursework in criminal justice and law enforcement studies because it gives them a head start on the book work they will experience during academy and also demonstrates qualities like initiative, strong work ethic, and critical thinking skills.

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CJDS FACT: Law enforcement careers are tied to unions that have not generally yielded positioning during the recession — forcing other departments to trim budget. Municipal budgets for public safety range from 30-40%. Paraphrasing former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, “Now is great time to go back to school for criminal justice degree. A bulge in hiring in the early 80′s is resulting in a wave of retirements 30 years later. Combine that with small improvement in the economy and those with degrees should be in great shape to start a law enforcement career in a couple years.”

Read more about careers where criminal justice of law enforcement degrees help:
- Police Officer career
- Sheriff Officer / Deputy career
- Corrections Officer career
- Fish and Game Warden career
- Park Ranger career
- Security Guard career

Law Enforcement Training and Courses

To that end, most law enforcement degree programs focus on the application of law to give students an understanding of how to enforce laws. Other key aspects include learning about the chain of evidence and detection of materials to support arrests, as well as the proper application of force given the circumstances.

With an increased focus on community-oriented policing evidenced by many departments, students learning about becoming a law enforcement officer may also take introductory level sociology courses and those on media relations, as well as law history courses.

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Job Opportunities for Law Enforcement Degree Program Graduates

These skills, combined with entrance to an academy, will prepare the law enforcement degree graduate to become a police or law enforcement trainee or cadet. Income varies widely throughout the United States and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an annual median wage of $54,230 for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in the US as of May 2011.1 The top 10% of police officers earn a median annual salary of $84,980.1

Top 50 Law Enforcement Blogs

See our top law enforcement blogs to read about what it is like to work as a police officer from current law enforcement professionals.

Online Law Enforcement Degree Programs and Criminal Justice Schools

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Kaplan University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • BS in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement
  • BS in Criminal Justice - Crime Scene Investigation
  • MS in Criminal Justice - Law

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American InterContinental University Online
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement

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Grand Canyon University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • M.S. in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement
  • M.S. in Criminal Justice: Legal Studies
  • B.S. in Justice Studies

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Rutgers University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • Master of Arts in Criminal Justice

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Virginia College
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • AS - Criminal Justice
  • MS - Criminal Justice
  • BS - Criminal Justice

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Capella University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • MS - Criminal Justice
  • PhD - Criminal Justice
  • BS - Criminal Justice

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Baker College Online
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • Bachelor of Criminal Justice



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References:
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333051.htm

Page Edited by Charles Sipe.