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Police shift commander education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a police shift commander. Police shift commanders usually study criminal justice, business, or law enforcement. 40% of police shift commanders hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 57 real police shift commander resumes to see exactly what police shift commander education sections show.
The most common colleges for police shift commanders are the Northwestern University and the Northwestern University.
There are also many online police shift commander courses to help get the education required to be a police shift commander.
What education do you need to become a police shift commander?
What degree do you need to be a police shift commander?
- Bachelor's, 40%
- Associate, 22%
- Master's, 19%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 12%
What should I major in to become a police shift commander?
- Criminal Justice, 42%
- Business, 10%
- Law Enforcement, 8%
- Law, 7%
- Other Majors, 33%
Most common colleges for police shift commanders
| Police shift commander common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Northwestern University | 6.67% |
| Troy University | 6.67% |
| Western New England University | 6.67% |
| Saint Leo University | 6.67% |
| Miami Dade College | 6.67% |
Best majors for police shift commanders
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 42.0% |
| 2 | Business | 10.2% |
| 3 | Law Enforcement | 8.0% |
| 4 | Law | 6.8% |
| 5 | General Studies | 4.5% |
Best colleges for police shift commanders
The best colleges for police shift commanders are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Harvard University.
A police shift commander 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 shift commanders. 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 shift commanders.
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 Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for police shift commanders
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Top 10 most affordable universities for police shift commanders
The most affordable schools for police shift commanders are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and florida international university.
If the best universities for police shift commanders 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 shift commanders.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for police shift commanders
The hardest universities for police shift commanders to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for police shift commanders 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 shift commanders 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for police shift commanders
The easiest schools for police shift commanders to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a police shift commander 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 shift commanders.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
10. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
Average police shift commander salary by education level
| Police shift commander education level | Police shift commander salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $105,381 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $66,842 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $95,227 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,509 |
Police shift commander education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025