Best First-Line Supervisors of police officer programs in Wisconsin, ranked by enrollment
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police.
32 schools in Wisconsin run programs that feed this job, graduating 748 people a year. The job pays a median of $97,120 in Wisconsin across about 2,080 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Wisconsin that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Wisconsin that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Wisconsin (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 Wisconsin page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0104In Wisconsin → | 612 | 81.8% | 21 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 43.0103In Wisconsin → | 72 | 9.6% | 7 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 3 | CIP 43.0102In Wisconsin → | 34 | 4.5% | 4 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 4 | CIP 03.0208In Wisconsin → | 25 | 3.3% | 1 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
| 5 | CIP 43.0404In Wisconsin → | 4 | 0.5% | 2 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 6 | CIP 43.0401In Wisconsin → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
Top 25 schools in Wisconsin
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 25 of the 32 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 115 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $38,640 | 49% | — | 91% |
| 2 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $41,636 | 56% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 56 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $41,591 | 44% | — | — |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $39,394 | 46% | — | 87% |
| 5 | Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 54 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $38,027 | 25% | — | — |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $41,258 | 64% | — | 82% |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $42,342 | 40% | — | 75% |
| 8 | Northcentral Technical College Wausau, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $59,645 | 45% | — | — |
| 9 | Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $44,966 | 56% | — | — |
| 10 | Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $73,818 | 51% | — | — |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services | $40,553 | 51% | — | 92% |
| 12 | Concordia University - Wisconsin Mequon, WI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 24 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $41,527 | 68% | $24,409 | 78% |
| 13 | Western Technical College La Crosse, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $59,276 | 34% | — | — |
| 14 | Marian University Fond Du Lac, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 44% | $22,627 | 75% |
| 15 | Mid - State Technical College Wisconsin Rapids, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 52% | — | — |
| 16 | Blackhawk Technical College Janesville, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $68,669 | 34% | — | — |
| 17 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $39,551 | 64% | $22,844 | 87% |
| 18 | Herzing University - Madison Madison, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $67,229 | 28% | $20,965 | 94% |
| 19 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $38,101 | 71% | $22,601 | 67% |
| 20 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Corrections | $36,713 | 51% | — | — |
| 21 | Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Corrections | $33,824 | 58% | — | — |
| 22 | Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa Wauwatosa, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | $32,211 | 20% | $15,767 | — |
| 23 | Edgewood University Madison, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 60% | $23,822 | 76% |
| 24 | Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration | — | 43% | $18,836 | 62% |
| 25 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $51,806 | 66% | — | — |
All 32 schools in Wisconsin
Every school in Wisconsin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | Milwaukee | Public | 115 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Platteville | Platteville | Public | 81 | 1 |
| Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | Public | 56 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh | Public | 55 | 1 |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College | Milwaukee | Public | 54 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Public | 38 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Parkside | Kenosha | Public | 34 | 1 |
| Northcentral Technical College | Wausau | Public | 28 | 2 |
| Northwood Technical College | Rice Lake | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Gateway Technical College | Kenosha | Public | 26 | 1 |
| University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point | Public | 25 | 1 |
| Concordia University - Wisconsin | Mequon | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 3 |
| Western Technical College | La Crosse | Public | 22 | 1 |
| Marian University | Fond Du Lac | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| Mid - State Technical College | Wisconsin Rapids | Public | 21 | 2 |
What first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Wisconsin
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $106,040. Wisconsin pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Wisconsin
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 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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin.
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 612 degrees in Wisconsin in 2024-25, 81.8% 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 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Security Science and Technology. Together they graduate about 748 people a year in Wisconsin.
How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives earn in Wisconsin?+
The median is $97,120 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.4% 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 Wisconsin?+
32 institutions in Wisconsin reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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.
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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card