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Police captain education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a police captain. Police captains usually study criminal justice, business, or law enforcement. 50% of police captains hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 438 real police captain resumes to see exactly what police captain education sections show.
The most common colleges for police captains are the Seton Hall University and the Seton Hall University.
There are also many online police captain courses to help get the education required to be a police captain.
There are certain police captain certifications that you should consider. These police captain certifications include Certified Law Enforcement Analysts (CLEA) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a police captain?
What degree do you need to be a police captain?
- Bachelor's, 50%
- Master's, 23%
- Associate, 21%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a police captain?
- Criminal Justice, 45%
- Business, 9%
- Law Enforcement, 8%
- Law, 6%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for police captains
| Police captain common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Seton Hall University | 9.52% |
| John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York | 6.35% |
| Columbia Southern University | 6.35% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 4.76% |
| Daytona State College | 4.76% |
Best majors for police captains
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 45.4% |
| 2 | Business | 9.2% |
| 3 | Law Enforcement | 7.8% |
| 4 | Law | 5.7% |
| 5 | Public Administration | 5.0% |
Best colleges for police captains
The best colleges for police captains are Northeastern University, SUNY at Binghamton, and American University.
A police captain 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 captains. 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 captains.
1. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
2. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
3. University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ • Private
In-state tuition
$12,467
Enrollment
33,509
4. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
5. University of New Haven
West Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$39,270
Enrollment
5,041
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Enrollment
41,777
7. Texas A&M University
College Station, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$11,870
Enrollment
53,194
8. Temple University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$16,970
Enrollment
28,965
9. University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$14,138
Enrollment
13,743
10. Marian University
Fond Du Lac, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$27,400
Enrollment
1,417
20 best online courses for police captains
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Top 10 most affordable universities for police captains
The most affordable schools for police captains are California State University - Bakersfield, florida international university, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for police captains 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 captains.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. 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
6. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Alva, OK • Private
In-state tuition
$7,471
Cost of attendance
15,616
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for police captains
The hardest universities for police captains to get into are Northeastern University, SUNY at Binghamton, and American University.
Some great schools for police captains 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 captains 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. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
3. American University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
32%
SAT average
1,320
4. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
5. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
6. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
Admissions rate
49%
SAT average
1,345
7. University of Denver
Denver, CO • Private
Admissions rate
56%
SAT average
1,300
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
9. Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,304
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
Admissions rate
49%
SAT average
1,347
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for police captains
The easiest schools for police captains to get into are Notre Dame College, the university of texas at el paso, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a police captain 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 captains.
1. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
2. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
7. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
8. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
9. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average police captain salary by education level
| Police captain education level | Police captain salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $109,298 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $79,310 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $101,769 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $83,990 |
Police captain education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025