Best police officer programs in New York, ranked by enrollment
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances.
24 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,043 people a year. The job pays a median of $92,790 in New York across about 53,470 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in New York that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in New York that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in New York (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 New York page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0107In New York → | 848 | 81.3% | 22 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 43.0100In New York → | 143 | 13.7% | 2 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 3 | CIP 43.0114In New York → | 50 | 4.8% | 3 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 4 | CIP 03.0208In New York → | 2 | 0.2% | 1 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
Top 24 schools in New York
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 20 of the 24 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 232 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $25,302 | 25% | — | — |
| 2 | CUNY Queensborough Community College Bayside, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 107 | Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | $26,907 | 24% | — | — |
| 3 | Monroe University Bronx, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 105 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $24,567 | 57% | $12,028 | 68% |
| 4 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 99 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $37,284 | 56% | — | 57% |
| 5 | Erie Community College Buffalo, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 78 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $33,340 | 28% | — | — |
| 6 | SUNY Westchester Community College Valhalla, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 62 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | — | 25% | — | — |
| 7 | Dutchess Community College Poughkeepsie, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $26,891 | 30% | — | — |
| 8 | Long Island University Brookville, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | $31,432 | 57% | $24,639 | 86% |
| 9 | Ulster County Community College Stone Ridge, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $51,069 | 34% | — | — |
| 10 | Finger Lakes Community College Canandaigua, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 31 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | — | 30% | — | — |
| 11 | SUNY College of Technology at Canton Canton, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Law Enforcement Investigation and Interviewing | $37,702 | 38% | — | 92% |
| 12 | Jamestown Community College Jamestown, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $25,684 | 40% | — | — |
| 13 | Berkeley College - New York New York, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $33,365 | 44% | $29,326 | — |
| 14 | Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $25,853 | 53% | — | 63% |
| 15 | SUNY Broome Community College Binghamton, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $40,721 | 23% | — | — |
| 16 | Mohawk Valley Community College Utica, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 17 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $36,754 | 38% | — | — |
| 17 | Cayuga County Community College Auburn, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | — | 30% | — | — |
| 18 | Monroe Community College Rochester, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $85,061 | 27% | — | — |
| 19 | Orange County Community College Middletown, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $36,111 | 25% | — | — |
| 20 | Tompkins Cortland Community College Dryden, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | — | 26% | — | — |
| 21 | SUNY Adirondack Queensbury, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $31,344 | 37% | — | — |
| 22 | Herkimer County Community College Herkimer, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $37,597 | 35% | — | — |
| 23 | Columbia - Greene Community College Hudson, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $34,411 | 46% | — | — |
| 24 | Clinton Community College Plattsburgh, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Criminal Justice/Police Science | $36,546 | 37% | — | — |
All 24 schools in New York
Every school in New York 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College | New York | Public | 232 | 1 |
| CUNY Queensborough Community College | Bayside | Public | 107 | 1 |
| Monroe University | Bronx | Private for-profit | 105 | 1 |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | New York | Public | 99 | 2 |
| Erie Community College | Buffalo | Public | 78 | 1 |
| SUNY Westchester Community College | Valhalla | Public | 62 | 1 |
| Dutchess Community College | Poughkeepsie | Public | 41 | 1 |
| Long Island University | Brookville | Private not-for-profit | 36 | 1 |
| Ulster County Community College | Stone Ridge | Public | 35 | 1 |
| Finger Lakes Community College | Canandaigua | Public | 31 | 2 |
| SUNY College of Technology at Canton | Canton | Public | 30 | 2 |
| Jamestown Community College | Jamestown | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Berkeley College - New York | New York | Private for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| Farmingdale State College | Farmingdale | Public | 23 | 1 |
| SUNY Broome Community College | Binghamton | Public | 19 | 1 |
What police and sheriff's patrol officers earn in New York
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $76,210. New York pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: New York employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in New York
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers page.
How to become a police officer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in New York
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0208Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
- 43.0100Criminal Justice and Corrections, General
- 43.0107Criminal Justice/Police Science
- 43.0114Law Enforcement Investigation and Interviewing
- 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)
- 43.0402Criminalistics and Criminal Science
Common questions
Answers for people weighing police and sheriff's patrol officers programs in New York.
What degree do you need to become a 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/Police Science, which awarded 848 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 81.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a police officer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. Together they graduate about 1,043 people a year in New York.
How much do police and sheriff's patrol officers earn in New York?+
The median is $92,790 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 21.8% above the U.S. median of $76,210. 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 police and sheriff's patrol officers growing?+
BLS projects a +3.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 53,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in New York?+
24 institutions in New York reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 police and sheriff's patrol officers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Deputy, Special Agent, Deputy Sheriff, Patrol Officer, Police Officer, Customs Officer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-3051.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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