Kansas·Protective Service Occupations·SOC 33-1012

Best First-Line Supervisors of police officer programs in Kansas, ranked by enrollment

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police.

18 schools in Kansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 368 people a year. The job pays a median of $82,950 in Kansas across about 2,330 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledLieutenantPolice CaptainPatrol SergeantPolice SergeantCaptainPort WardenChief DeputyPolice Chief
Graduates / yr
368
in Kansas
Median pay · Kansas
$82,950
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,330
people employed
Schools
18
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
44%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,014
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Kansas that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

8 programs in Kansas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Kansas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Kansas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 43.0104In Kansas
198
53.8%
9$37,408$24,069
2
CIP 43.0103In Kansas
111
30.2%
7$37,408$24,069
3
CIP 43.0302In Kansas
20
5.4%
2$46,281$23,250
4
CIP 43.0301In Kansas
18
4.9%
2$46,281$23,250
5
CIP 43.0100In Kansas
16
4.3%
2$37,408$24,069
6
CIP 43.0401In Kansas
3
0.8%
1$40,889$25,000
7
CIP 43.0102In Kansas
1
0.3%
1$37,408$24,069
8
CIP 43.0407In Kansas
1
0.3%
1$40,889$25,000

Top 18 schools in Kansas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 18 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Wichita State University
Wichita, KS Public · 3 feeder programs
98Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$38,10251%94%
2Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
63Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration$55,17131%
3Fort Hays State University
Hays, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
51Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$42,42848%90%
4Central Christian College of Kansas
McPherson, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration$55,45327%$12,53753%
5Kansas Wesleyan University
Salina, KS Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
18Criminal Justice and Corrections, General$37,30149%$23,01472%
6Barton County Community College
Great Bend, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
17Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management33%
7Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
17Criminal Justice/Safety Studies57%89%
8University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS Public · 3 feeder programs
17Homeland Security69%93%
9Washburn University
Topeka, KS Public · 3 feeder programs
15Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration$40,05253%
10Butler Community College
El Dorado, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
14Criminal Justice/Safety Studies32%
11Sterling College
Sterling, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration41%$22,40648%
12Friends University
Wichita, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$34,52243%$24,08455%
13Newman University
Wichita, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Criminal Justice/Safety Studies53%$18,52074%
14Southwestern College
Winfield, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Criminal Justice/Safety Studies$60,82036%$26,86876%
15Independence Community College
Independence, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
2Criminal Justice/Safety Studies26%
16MidAmerica Nazarene University
Olathe, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration54%$28,84579%
17Ottawa University - Kansas City
Overland Park, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
18Ottawa University - Online
Overland Park, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration43%

All 18 schools in Kansas

Every school in Kansas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Kansas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Wichita State UniversityWichitaPublic983
Johnson County Community CollegeOverland ParkPublic631
Fort Hays State UniversityHaysPublic511
Central Christian College of KansasMcPhersonPrivate not-for-profit181
Kansas Wesleyan UniversitySalinaPrivate not-for-profit182
Barton County Community CollegeGreat BendPublic171
Pittsburg State UniversityPittsburgPublic171
University of KansasLawrencePublic173
Washburn UniversityTopekaPublic153
Butler Community CollegeEl DoradoPublic141
Sterling CollegeSterlingPrivate not-for-profit131
Friends UniversityWichitaPrivate not-for-profit81
Newman UniversityWichitaPrivate not-for-profit71
Southwestern CollegeWinfieldPrivate not-for-profit61
Independence Community CollegeIndependencePublic21

What first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Kansas

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Kansas
$82,950
Mean annual
$88,260
Jobs in state
2,330
What the range looks like
10th pct$58,410Median$82,95090th pct$124,640
Versus the national median
-21.8%

U.S. median $106,040. Kansas pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.63×

Concentrated here: Kansas employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Kansas

Lawrence, KS
$102,210median
100 jobs
Topeka, KS
$105,910median
220 jobs
Wichita, KS
$90,610median
440 jobs
Manhattan, KS
$81,330median
110 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+2.9%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
10,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,600
160,800 → 165,400
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives page.

How to become a First-Line Supervisors of police officer

Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Top skills

MonitoringActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingReading ComprehensionActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Kansas

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 19 majors mapped to First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives16 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 03.0208Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
  • 29.0203Signal/Geospatial Intelligence
  • 43.0100Criminal Justice and Corrections, General
  • 43.0102Corrections
  • 43.0103Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
  • 43.0104Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
  • 43.0115Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management(no graduates reported)
  • 43.0119Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations
  • 43.0120Protective Services Operations
  • 43.0122Maritime Law Enforcement(no graduates reported)
  • 43.0123Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection(no graduates reported)
  • 43.0301Homeland Security
  • 43.0302Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management
  • 43.0303Critical Infrastructure Protection
  • 43.0304Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations
  • 43.0401Security Science and Technology, General
  • 43.0404Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy
  • 43.0407Geospatial Intelligence
  • 43.0499Security Science and Technology, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing first-line supervisors of police and detectives programs in Kansas.

What degree do you need to become a First-Line Supervisors of police officer?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Criminal Justice/Safety Studies, which awarded 198 degrees in Kansas in 2024-25, 53.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a First-Line Supervisors of police officer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology. Together they graduate about 368 people a year in Kansas.

How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Kansas?+

The median is $82,950 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 21.8% below the U.S. median of $106,040. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for first-line supervisors of police and detectives growing?+

BLS projects a +2.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Kansas?+

18 institutions in Kansas reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do first-line supervisors of police and detectives work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Lieutenant, Police Captain, Patrol Sergeant, Police Sergeant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-1012.

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in other statesCaliforniaTexasFloridaArizonaNew YorkVirginiaGeorgiaNorth Carolina

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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