3 answers
Charles
Student
Whitmore Lake, Michigan
1
Question
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Do you need to go to college to be a police officer?
I like law enforce things #pol #enforcement
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3 answers
Wayne Archibald
Cybersecurity Associate Director here to share knowledge!
212
Answers
Silver Spring, Maryland
Updated
Wayne’s Answer
Hi Charles.
Most agencies expect officers to have a high school diploma or GED at a minimum. Some agencies require a bachelor's degree or a minimum number of college credit hours. Others offer additional pay based on educational attainment. Regardless, education beyond high school will only help you in your law enforcement career.
Good luck!
Most agencies expect officers to have a high school diploma or GED at a minimum. Some agencies require a bachelor's degree or a minimum number of college credit hours. Others offer additional pay based on educational attainment. Regardless, education beyond high school will only help you in your law enforcement career.
Good luck!
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1669
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Charles,
Each state has its own requirements. In the state of Michigan, the answer is YES, you must have an Associates Degree by the time you complete the academy. This really means you need to get it out of the way before entering the academy, as you won't really have time to finish it while in the academy!
https://www.michigan.gov/mcoles/0,1607,7-229-41624-150169--,00.html
There is a lot of information on the mcoles website, and you should spend some time looking at it
https://www.michigan.gov/mcoles/
Unfortunately, nowadays many jobs require college that did not use to. Lots of police officers started out with no college degree when I was an officer, from 1984-2008. Things have changed. Some states may not require college, but the individual departments might. So you can't assume that if college is not required by the state that you will be able to get a job in that state as a police officer without a degree. You need to look at the websites of the departments you want to work for to get further information.
You should also be aware of other jobs that are closely tied to law enforcement, but not necessarily police officers. These include police dispatcher and evidence technician.
hope this helps!
Kim
Each state has its own requirements. In the state of Michigan, the answer is YES, you must have an Associates Degree by the time you complete the academy. This really means you need to get it out of the way before entering the academy, as you won't really have time to finish it while in the academy!
https://www.michigan.gov/mcoles/0,1607,7-229-41624-150169--,00.html
There is a lot of information on the mcoles website, and you should spend some time looking at it
https://www.michigan.gov/mcoles/
Unfortunately, nowadays many jobs require college that did not use to. Lots of police officers started out with no college degree when I was an officer, from 1984-2008. Things have changed. Some states may not require college, but the individual departments might. So you can't assume that if college is not required by the state that you will be able to get a job in that state as a police officer without a degree. You need to look at the websites of the departments you want to work for to get further information.
You should also be aware of other jobs that are closely tied to law enforcement, but not necessarily police officers. These include police dispatcher and evidence technician.
hope this helps!
Kim
Miko Baldwin
Consultant Contract Management
36
Answers
Updated
Miko’s Answer
Hi Wayne! College is always encouraged however I have police officer friends that made their way into the academy without a degree. The good thing about it is you can become an officer and take a look at your benefits. Some agencies pay for your education. I also included a link that maybe helpful too! Good luck to you!
https://www.policefoundation.org/study-examines-higher-education-in-policing/
https://www.policefoundation.org/study-examines-higher-education-in-policing/