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Law enforcement instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a law enforcement instructor. Law enforcement instructors usually study criminal justice, law enforcement, or business. 51% of law enforcement instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 390 real law enforcement instructor resumes to see exactly what law enforcement instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for law enforcement instructors are the American University and the American University.

There are also many online law enforcement instructor courses to help get the education required to be a law enforcement instructor.

There are certain law enforcement instructor certifications that you should consider. These law enforcement instructor certifications include Certified Law Enforcement Analysts (CLEA) and Instructor.

What education do you need to become a law enforcement instructor?

What degree do you need to be a law enforcement instructor?

The most common degree for law enforcement instructors is bachelor's degree, with 51% of law enforcement instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 51%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a law enforcement instructor?

You should major in criminal justice to become a law enforcement instructor. 43% of law enforcement instructors major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a law enforcement instructor include law enforcement and business.

Most common colleges for law enforcement instructors

Law enforcement instructors often get their degrees at American University, Miami Dade College, and Wayland Baptist University. Here are the most common colleges for law enforcement instructors in the US based on their resumes.
Law enforcement instructor common collegePercentages
American University12.96%
Miami Dade College9.26%
Wayland Baptist University7.41%
University of Phoenix7.41%
Saint Leo University5.56%

Best majors for law enforcement instructors

Best colleges for law enforcement instructors

The best colleges for law enforcement instructors are George Washington University, The, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.

A law enforcement instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for law enforcement instructors. 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 law enforcement instructors.

1. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

2. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,244

Enrollment

15,557

9. University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$14,138

Enrollment

13,743

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for law enforcement instructors

Advertising disclosure

1. Introduction to International Criminal Law

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-- About the Course -- From the Nuremberg trial to the case against Saddam Hussein, from the prosecution of Al-Qaeda terrorists to the trial of Somali pirates – no area of law is as important to world peace and security as international criminal law. Taught by one of the world’s leading experts in the field, this course will educate students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy. We will explore the contours of international crimes such as genocide, war crimes,...

2. An Introduction to American Law

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This course will give you a glimpse into six different areas of American law: Tort Law, Contract Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure. You will gain insight into the complexities and dilemmas that arise from the application of law in different settings, and what is distinctive about American approaches...

3. Criminal Law in 120 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

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A 2 hour fast track summary of Criminal Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

4. Criminology and Criminal Psychology Certified CSI+ Course

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4.2
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5. Cloud Computing Law

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This Specialization is intended for anyone interested in understanding the legal rights and obligations of providers and customers of cloud services. Our three Courses cover the key legal and regulatory issues for cloud services, including cloud contracts, data protection law, law enforcement access, and much more! You will learn to describe cloud providers’ and customers’ legal rights, to identify and assess legal risks, and to suggest possible legal and technological solutions...

6. European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals

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The European Union is one of the world’s largest and most important economies. This six week course is the first in a series of three that will provide students with an insight into European Business Law. The series ranges from considering the basic structures and principles of the European Union to focusing on various specialized areas of law. Each course will give the students an understanding of the laws and policies that regulate the internal market of European Union, as well as relevant...

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Active Shooter/Violent Intruder Prevention and Response...

8. English for Business and Law - Contract Law

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An English language course for business and law...

9. American Contract Law II

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Course description: Contracts I & II provides a comprehensive overview of contract law in the United States. The course covers most of the key concepts found in a first year law school class. Each lecture is based on one or more common-law cases, integrating legal doctrines with policy discussions. The course also covers key sections from the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs the sale of goods. By the end of the course, the learner should be able to understand: Formation defenses:...

10. Privacy Law and HIPAA

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What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...

11. Company Law: A Comprehensive Summary

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An in-depth summary of Company Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations...

12. Employment Law Compliance Made Easy

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A comprehensive course for management to understand key employment law issues in the workplace...

13. Healthcare Law

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This Specialization is designed to help you navigate the complex legal framework that governs modern health systems. You will learn the fundamentals of American health law, then explore how privacy law shapes the relationship between healthcare providers and their patients. You will also learn how intellectual property law influences everything from the pharmaceutical industry, to medical research, to cutting-edge ethical issues involved in emerging technologies such as DNA-testing. Finally,...

14. A Law Student's Toolkit

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Whether you are an advanced law student looking to review the basics, or an aspiring law student looking for head start, this course will help you build the foundation you will need to succeed in law school and beyond. This course will introduce you to terminology, concepts, and tools lawyers and legal academics use to make their arguments. It will help you follow these arguments—and make arguments of your own. This course consists of a series of short lectures and assignments. A reading list...

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16. Law of Contracts in 60 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

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17. Privacy Law and Data Protection

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What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...

18. Hot Topics in Criminal Justice

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The American criminal justice system is in need of reform. We incarcerate too many people. We pay insufficient attention to scientific advances that can help separate out the most and least culpable and dangerous. We grant the police far too much power to use force and technological surveillance. As a way of thinking about dealing with these problems, this course examines two over-arching issues: What should we do with people who have committed crime, and how should we identify who they are? On...

19. Law of Attraction: Law of Attraction and your Perfect Life

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20. Law of Attraction & Allowing YOUR Success Masterclass

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Top 10 most affordable universities for law enforcement instructors

The most affordable schools for law enforcement instructors are USF Sarasota-Manatee, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for law enforcement instructors 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 law enforcement instructors.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,270

Cost of attendance

14,177

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for law enforcement instructors

The hardest universities for law enforcement instructors to get into are George Washington University, The, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for law enforcement instructors 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 law enforcement instructors 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. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

10. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for law enforcement instructors

The easiest schools for law enforcement instructors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a law enforcement instructor 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 law enforcement instructors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

7. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

8. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average law enforcement instructor salary by education level

According to our data, law enforcement instructors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,803 annually. Law enforcement instructors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $49,818.
Law enforcement instructor education levelLaw enforcement instructor salary
Master's Degree$49,818
Doctorate Degree$60,803

Law enforcement instructor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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