Both Degrees Interest Me... Which Appeals or Helps More??

[JSici01]

Hi everyone!

When it comes to degrees, I've heard time and time again that the field of study, concentration, or major does NOT matter when it comes to testing and applying for police departments. However, I wanted to some opinions on what would look better to have and which one would help, if any, in the testing process. The possible paths I'm looking at are:

- Bachelor of Arts in History

- Bachelor of General Studies with Minors in: Business, Criminal Justice, and Psychology

I already have an Associate in Liberal Studies, but of course I'm looking to further this. The BA in History appeals to me because it's a standard BA in one field, and there isn't any Math involved in the degree from here on out. The BGS with Minors appeals to me because I can test out of some quick and "easier" courses that are not within the minors and concentrate on those three areas that interest me. My ALS already has quite a few Business classes done.

Which of these two degrees, if you were on the commission or hiring board, would appeal to you more??

If it helps, I am looking to become a police officer (standard patrol) and my backup career is retail management at the store management level or somewhere of district or regional management.

Thank you for your time!

[DeltaV]

It makes no difference whatsoever. No offense, but majoring in either history or general studies are both equally as useless when it comes to a degree choice. A minor really means nothing, so what you minor in is inconsequential. All the agency will care about is that you have a degree. Personally I would view someone who majors in general studies as someone who can't make a decision, but that's just me.

There are some agencies (VERY few, mind you) that give some sort of preference to those who major in criminal justice. I would advise majoring in something specific, even if it is history. You already have one general degree, why get another? Majoring in business would be your best bet and would actually give you something to fall back on should law enforcement not work out for you for one reason or another.

[Jim1348]

So, get a double major then!

[JSici01]

History is my favorite subject, and the one that I am best at. I do a lot of Business electives completed, but some are theory based and others are more "applied." The problem with trying to get a Business degree, which would make the most sense ironically, is the amount of Math that's required in the degree. I'm not a "Math and Science person," and I have tried tutoring before, but it didn't help. I've retaken advanced Math classes over and over, wasting time and money, only to come out about the same each attempt. As for the BGS, I would figure any minors would show some knowledge, if any, in a particular subject. Even though the it's a General Studies Degree, it's still an ACCREDITED Bachelor's Degree. That's what looked for right?? The possible minors I listed do not require any of the advanced Math classes.

As far as a double major, I just want to finish! I'll be 24 next month... In some eyes, still young, yes. In other eyes, young but need to get a move-on in life. I agree in both perspectives. I don't want to spend my whole life in college. I'm not too enthused about continuing school, but I'm doing it just to get that Bachelor's to make myself better competitive in the job market, and perhaps make some more money. Otherwise, I would have said "no, thanks" a long time ago to school. I was one of the best students growing up and in high school too. But, I'm so burnt out, academic-wise.

Anyway, trying to decide upon which of these two four-year degrees to go for. All of my credits in the Associates transfer 100%. The only two benefits to the BGS is I can finish a few month quicker, and it would be a lot more affordable because I wouldn't have to put the courses I test out of on the loans.

I see pros and cons in both plans... Just trying to make up my mind.

[JSici01]

Please excuse the few grammar mistakes in my last post. It's midnight here, and I'm in need of sleep soon.

[Kimble]

Let's say you get a history degree and get hired as a LEO, but then find out the job isn't for you, or you don't pass field training/probation, or you get hurt. What job are you going to get as a Plan B with a history degree?

In a rough economy I would advise getting a degree in a field that is hiring, not only as a back up but also to help gain employment (and pay the bills) at graduation of a LEO job doesn't materialize quickly.

[Aymarae]

I agree with Kimble, You need to think of the possibility that criminal justice might not pan out for various reasons not to mention there are cutbacks in this field right now and hiring is not as forceful as it may be in other career areas like medicine, social sciences, business management, etc. The point of the education means nothing if you cannot make it into something that works for you when you need to pay bills and make it in this economy. I also would consider going higher than a BA in history if you choose that path because if you complete a MA in history and education as a minor or second concentration you will have the background for the possibility of teaching the subject material which allows your concentration to work for you later in life should you need it to. Best of luck.

[McNulty]

Let's say you get a history degree and get hired as a LEO, but then find out the job isn't for you, or you don't pass field training/probation, or you get hurt. What job are you going to get as a Plan B with a history degree?

Teaching. They're dying for teachers here.

[JSici01]

Hmmm, a lot of unexpected responses on here. Though, I do appreciate the advice. It seems that no matter my interests, each career is difficult to get into. Law enforcement has a lot of tough tests to begin with, just to place someone on an eligibility list. My thought is the standards boards should make a Bachelor's Degree the educational requirement anyway, no matter the agency, because that's like it all it seems is that if you don't have a Bachelor's, even if they're just requesting an Associate or even HS Diploma, you get passed up. I see a lot of bias on here towards Business degrees. If it was easier for me to pass the Math, believe me, I would do that.

I've been on two ridealongs, and one officer had all his degree credentials in CJ. But, he told me to go for Business as it's something that will make me stand out in the crowd for the good. He also said NOT to do General Studies. On the second ridealong, different department, the officer told me that your major DOES NOT matter... Just as long as you have the degree. I'm so confused and being pulled in many different directions on something that shouldn't be this hard to decide.

Ironically, I interviewed for a store loss prevention position today, and the LP Supervisor has her degree in Music Education. I found that one pretty ironic.

McNulty, I see that you live in South Carolina... You said they're dying for teachers. Do you know the specifics of the teaching demands there?? I'm in Illinois, and we're the exact OPPOSITE! The state has cut the budget so much for school districts. My district that I graduated high school from just cut over 200 teachers. It's been said, around Chicagoland at least, that the in-demand teaching positions are in the usual Math / Science, Billingual, Special Ed, and Elementary. NOTHING ELSE! No English / Language Arts, No History / Social Science, No Art / Music, Not even Phys Ed. None of the in-demand fields interest me. Everything else is part-time or substitute. My two best subjects are History and English. I thought many times about going for teaching, but it's basically just as hard to get into teaching here as it is police work. The salary for teaching?? Ha, they're lucky if they're making about $35-40K. For four years worth of school, I'd like to get at least $50K. Also, I'm not interested in LE for the money. I just think that when it comes to college, police work or not, people should be paid a pretty good amount and not the usual $15 bucks an hour I can get working in a factory with no college.

Store management is always in demand, and it doesn't look like they require a specific degree. The only downside with them is the amount of experience that's needed.

Overall, I value your opinions, and I also try to remember that it is MYSELF who will be enrolling in courses and paying for them. I do appreciate your responses, but I heard a phrase once. It seems to hold true. "You can make some people happy some of the time, but you can't make all people happy all of the time." I'm not saying that about anybody here... Just in the general sense when it comes to asking for opinions or advice.

Thank you much.

[Kimble]

Teaching. They're dying for teachers here.

Takes more than a history BS/BA to teach. I'd know, I'm married to a teacher.

[JSici01]

For those that care to know... this thread inspired me over the weekend to try one more time to test on College Algebra. I did, and after three times in the past few months, I FINALLY PASSED the course!

What this means for me... I can now either major in Criminal Justice Administration. There is an upper-level research methods course required in the major that has College Algebra as the prereq. So, I can now choose this as my major.

If I want to major in Business, I still have to pass Statistics. Not too sure on that one, but I can now do CJ as my major instead of History or General Studies.