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Police academy instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a police academy instructor. Police academy instructors usually study criminal justice, business, or law enforcement. 56% of police academy instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 945 real police academy instructor resumes to see exactly what police academy instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for police academy instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online police academy instructor courses to help get the education required to be a police academy instructor.
There are certain police academy instructor certifications that you should consider. These police academy instructor certifications include Certified Law Enforcement Analysts (CLEA) and Instructor Certification (EPIC).
What education do you need to become a police academy instructor?
What degree do you need to be a police academy instructor?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 14%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a police academy instructor?
- Criminal Justice, 34%
- Business, 10%
- Law Enforcement, 6%
- Law, 6%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for police academy instructors
| Police academy instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 15.48% |
| Texas A&M University - Central Texas | 7.14% |
| Wichita State University | 5.95% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.95% |
| Liberty University | 4.76% |
Best majors for police academy instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 34.3% |
| 2 | Business | 10.0% |
| 3 | Law Enforcement | 6.3% |
| 4 | Law | 5.6% |
| 5 | General Studies | 4.9% |
Best colleges for police academy instructors
The best colleges for police academy instructors are Boston University, University of Pennsylvania, and George Washington University, The.
A police academy 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 police academy 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 police academy instructors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
3. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Enrollment
23,708
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,816
Enrollment
21,047
7. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$9,242
Enrollment
20,592
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for police academy instructors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for police academy instructors
The most affordable schools for police academy instructors are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - los angeles, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for police academy 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 police academy instructors.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
3. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for police academy instructors
The hardest universities for police academy instructors to get into are Boston University, University of Pennsylvania, and George Washington University, The.
Some great schools for police academy 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 police academy 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
8. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,321
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
31%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for police academy instructors
The easiest schools for police academy instructors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, holy names university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a police academy 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 police academy instructors.
1. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
Average police academy instructor salary by education level
| Police academy instructor education level | Police academy instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,803 |
| Doctorate Degree | $60,858 |
Police academy instructor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025