Police commanding officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a police commanding officer. Police commanding officers usually study criminal justice, business, or law enforcement. 47% of police commanding officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 88 real police commanding officer resumes to see exactly what police commanding officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for police commanding officers are the Eastern Kentucky University and the Eastern Kentucky University.

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

What education do you need to become a police commanding officer?

What degree do you need to be a police commanding officer?

The most common degree for police commanding officers is bachelor's degree, with 47% of police commanding officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 18%.

Bachelor's, 47%

Associate, 23%

Master's, 18%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a police commanding officer?

You should major in criminal justice to become a police commanding officer. 43% of police commanding officers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a police commanding officer include business and law enforcement.

Criminal Justice, 43%

Business, 9%

Law Enforcement, 7%

Law, 7%

Other Majors, 34%

Most common colleges for police commanding officers

Police commanding officers often get their degrees at Eastern Kentucky University, Saint Joseph's University, and Union Institute & University. Here are the most common colleges for police commanding officers in the US based on their resumes.

Police commanding officer common college	Percentages
Eastern Kentucky University	12.00%
Saint Joseph's University	8.00%
Union Institute & University	8.00%
Columbia Southern University	8.00%
Syracuse University	4.00%

Show more common police commanding officer colleges

Best majors for police commanding officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	42.5%
2	Business	9.2%
3	Law Enforcement	6.9%
4	Law	6.9%
5	Management	4.6%

Show more common police commanding officer majors

Best colleges for police commanding officers

The best colleges for police commanding officers are Northeastern University, Boston University, and George Washington University, The.

A police commanding 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 police commanding 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 police commanding officers.

1. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

5. University of New Haven

West Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$39,270

Enrollment

5,041

6. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for police commanding officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for police commanding officers

The most affordable schools for police commanding officers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for police commanding 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 police commanding officers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for police commanding officers

The hardest universities for police commanding officers to get into are Northeastern University, Boston University, and George Washington University, The.

Some great schools for police commanding 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 police commanding 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

8. American University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,320

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

10. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for police commanding officers

The easiest schools for police commanding officers to get into are Notre Dame College, nyack college, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a police commanding 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 police commanding officers.

1. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

Average police commanding officer salary by education level

According to our data, police commanding officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $99,445 annually. Police commanding officers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $92,811.

Police commanding officer education level	Police commanding officer salary
Master's Degree	$99,445
High School Diploma or Less	$72,924
Bachelor's Degree	$92,811
Some College/ Associate Degree	$77,082

Police commanding officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Police Commanding 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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