Best degree programs for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, ranked by enrollment
7 college programs and 645 schools train Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $76,210 median wage, 670,520 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
7 college programs at 645 schools train police and sheriff's patrol officers, graduating 23,544 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Criminal Justice/Police Science. The job pays a median of $76,210 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About police and sheriff's patrol officers
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
7 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0107 | 19,975 | 84.8% | 540 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 43.0100 | 2,344 | 10.0% | 75 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 3 | CIP 43.0402 | 622 | 2.6% | 31 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 43.0114 | 310 | 1.3% | 14 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 5 | CIP 03.0208 | 222 | 0.9% | 21 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
| 6 | CIP 43.0120 | 42 | 0.2% | 6 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 7 | CIP 43.0119 | 29 | 0.1% | 2 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What police and sheriff's patrol officers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $74,470 | 43,630 | 1.02× | 44 | 2,689 |
| California | $118,880 | 65,940 | 0.84× | 29 | 2,657 |
| Texas | $75,900 | 63,100 | 1.04× | 42 | 2,140 |
| Arizona | $78,880 | 12,010 | 0.86× | 17 | 1,809 |
| New York | $92,790 | 53,470 | 1.28× | 24 | 1,043 |
| Ohio | $77,020 | 23,430 | 0.98× | 45 | 1,024 |
| New Jersey | $92,610 | 21,780 | 1.18× | 17 | 953 |
| Minnesota | $83,360 | 9,160 | 0.72× | 20 | 927 |
| Illinois | $100,520 | 29,180 | 1.11× | 34 | 806 |
| Wisconsin | $78,090 | 12,320 | 0.97× | 16 | 734 |
| Colorado | $97,350 | 9,610 | 0.78× | 16 | 730 |
| North Carolina | $59,300 | 22,370 | 1.05× | 31 | 677 |
| Michigan | $73,730 | 16,750 | 0.88× | 25 | 676 |
| Indiana | $73,370 | 12,980 | 0.94× | 8 | 601 |
| Maryland | $77,970 | 9,720 | 0.82× | 15 | 593 |
| Georgia | $58,120 | 22,170 | 1.05× | 20 | 476 |
| Oklahoma | $59,700 | 9,660 | 1.31× | 23 | 395 |
| Alabama | $51,270 | 11,710 | 1.29× | 13 | 392 |
| Connecticut | $82,170 | 6,500 | 0.89× | 5 | 382 |
| Missouri | $59,460 | 13,570 | 1.07× | 16 | 366 |
| Virginia | $65,870 | 19,970 | 1.13× | 5 | 362 |
| Massachusetts | $78,940 | 17,040 | 1.09× | 13 | 361 |
| Tennessee | $59,280 | 15,630 | 1.11× | 10 | 352 |
| Pennsylvania | $85,470 | 26,510 | 1.01× | 24 | 311 |
| Arkansas | $47,670 | 5,710 | 1.02× | 10 | 256 |
| Nevadamoderate | $78,140 | 5,720 | 0.85× | 4 | 177 |
| Iowa | $74,470 | 5,130 | 0.76× | 12 | 172 |
| Washington | $102,080 | 9,160 | 0.60× | 11 | 147 |
| Kansas | $59,230 | 6,130 | 0.99× | 9 | 85 |
| West Virginia | $56,960 | 2,900 | 0.96× | 7 | 76 |
| Alaskalimited | $99,130 | 1,260 | 0.90× | 2 | 74 |
| Utah | $77,310 | 5,500 | 0.73× | 5 | 74 |
| Kentucky | $60,490 | 7,890 | 0.91× | 5 | 71 |
| Louisianamoderate | $48,380 | 12,400 | 1.49× | 4 | 66 |
| New Mexico | $69,180 | 4,580 | 1.22× | 6 | 66 |
| Delawarelimited | $92,970 | 1,800 | 0.86× | 1 | 63 |
| Idahomoderate | $66,990 | 2,810 | 0.76× | 3 | 63 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $60,740 | 2,000 | 1.01× | 4 | 47 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $77,230 | 1,940 | 0.90× | 2 | 45 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $74,620 | 3,490 | 0.79× | 3 | 41 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $83,820 | 2,420 | 0.90× | 3 | 38 |
| North Dakotalimited | $74,500 | 1,630 | 0.88× | 1 | 38 |
| Wyominglimited | $66,140 | 1,310 | 1.08× | 2 | 37 |
| Mississippimoderate | $46,140 | 8,070 | 1.61× | 3 | 36 |
| Oregon | $88,140 | 5,030 | 0.59× | 6 | 34 |
| Mainemoderate | $67,050 | 2,120 | 0.77× | 4 | 28 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $71,640 | 2,460 | 0.83× | 1 | 15 |
| South Carolinalimited | $58,070 | 12,930 | 1.30× | 2 | 12 |
| District of Columbialimited | $88,650 | 4,720 | 1.56× | 1 | 10 |
| Montanalimited | $70,050 | 2,160 | 0.98× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
- Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
- Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
- Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.
Skills
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Active Learning3.6
- Monitoring3.6
- Writing3.4
- Learning Strategies2.6
Knowledge areas
- Law and Government4.7
- Public Safety and Security4.6
- English Language4.1
- Customer and Personal Service3.8
- Psychology3.8
- Education and Training3.4
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.3
- Oral Comprehension4.3
- Inductive Reasoning4.1
- Deductive Reasoning4.1
- Oral Expression4.1
- Speech Clarity3.9
Core activities
- Getting Information4.7
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.6
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.5
- Working with Computers4.4
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 19,975 degrees in 2024-25, 84.8% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Security Science and Technology, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. Together they graduate about 23,544 people a year.
How much do police and sheriff's patrol officers earn?+
The median is $76,210 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $47,510 at the 10th percentile to $115,120 at the 90th. 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?+
645 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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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