Highway patrol officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a highway patrol officer. Highway patrol officers usually study criminal justice, law enforcement, or business. 43% of highway patrol officers hold a associate degree, and 36% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 106 real highway patrol officer resumes to see exactly what highway patrol officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for highway patrol officers are the California State University - San Bernardino and the California State University - San Bernardino.

There are also many online highway patrol officer courses to help get the education required to be a highway patrol officer.

What education do you need to become a highway patrol officer?

What degree do you need to be a highway patrol officer?

The most common degree for highway patrol officers is associate degree, with 43% of highway patrol officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 36% and bachelor's degree degree at 9%.

Associate, 43%

Bachelor's, 36%

High School Diploma, 9%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a highway patrol officer?

You should major in criminal justice to become a highway patrol officer. 20% of highway patrol officers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a highway patrol officer include law enforcement and business.

Criminal Justice, 20%

Law Enforcement, 14%

Business, 10%

Law, 6%

Other Majors, 50%

Most common colleges for highway patrol officers

Highway patrol officers often get their degrees at California State University - San Bernardino, National University, and Texas College. Here are the most common colleges for highway patrol officers in the US based on their resumes.

Highway patrol officer common college	Percentages
California State University - San Bernardino	12.00%
National University	8.00%
Texas College	8.00%
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York	8.00%
California State University - Bakersfield	4.00%

Show more common highway patrol officer colleges

Best majors for highway patrol officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	20.4%
2	Law Enforcement	14.3%
3	Business	10.2%
4	Law	6.1%
5	General Studies	6.1%

Show more common highway patrol officer majors

Best colleges for highway patrol officers

The best colleges for highway patrol officers are Northeastern University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A highway patrol officer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for highway patrol officers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become highway patrol officers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

3. Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$14,460

Enrollment

39,208

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. Roberts Wesleyan College

Rochester, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$31,568

Enrollment

1,329

7. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

8. Tiffin University

Tiffin, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$25,000

Enrollment

1,995

9. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for highway patrol officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for highway patrol officers

The most affordable schools for highway patrol officers are California State University - Long Beach, usf sarasota-manatee, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for highway patrol officers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for highway patrol officers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for highway patrol officers

The hardest universities for highway patrol officers to get into are Northeastern University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for highway patrol officers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for highway patrol officers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,465

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for highway patrol officers

The easiest schools for highway patrol officers to get into are Bluefield College, gwynedd mercy university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a highway patrol officer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for highway patrol officers.

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average highway patrol officer salary by education level

According to our data, highway patrol officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,851 annually. Highway patrol officers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $42,187.

Highway patrol officer education level	Highway patrol officer salary
Master's Degree	$42,851
High School Diploma or Less	$36,545
Bachelor's Degree	$40,933
Doctorate Degree	$42,187
Some College/ Associate Degree	$39,218

Highway patrol officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Highway Patrol Officers?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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