College Majors

[explcdt8]

Hello Everyone,

I have some questions about college that I need a police officer to help me with. My goal after graduation is to become a sworn police officer in a larger agency (over 100 sworn), and after doing some time in patrol, move into investigations.

At my first choice college there are three majors that particularly intrest me. One is Forensic Science, another is Computer Systems in Criminal Justice (a combination of crime analysis and computer forensics), and a third is Police Studies. To furhter complicate things, you can take any elective with any major.

My question is, which of these majors do you feel would best prepare me to be an effective and well-rounded law enforcement officer in today's society, and why.

P.S. I know that it is sometimes suggested to major in a field outside of law enforcement in case you do not make it, however, if I do not make it as a sworn officer, my next choice of career would be either a civilian positon in an agency, or in private sector work in this field.

[Citicop]

In all honesty, it makes absolutely no difference.

Agencies look for the presence of a degree from an accredited institution, and not at the subject matter studied. Find any degree that interests you, and obtian it. Law enforcement related or economics, Having the degree is all that matters.

Citicop.

[Switchback]

Yeah, what Citicop said.

Also... do a search. This has beeb covered at great lengths in MULTIPLE threads!

[explcdt8]

Thank you very much for your help

[Kimble]

Find any degree that interests you, and obtian it. Law enforcement related or economics, Having the degree is all that matters.

That pretty much sums it up. Get the degree in whichever of those three fields interests you the most. For me personally it would be the computer science degree, but that's just me.

[Cougar]

I had a hard time picking majors too...but I've learned that it's not the technical name of what you're majoring in, it's what the courses are. Pick a good program that has courses that you want to take and pretain to what you want to do. As long as what you're studying is consistant with what you'll being doing career wise, you're all set. Good luck!

-N

[tiltmode1]

So you could major in something like food science and the agency would still want you just because it's a degree? Why? How would this be of any help to them?

[explcdt8]

The reason for this is that you will get trained in the skills part of the job during the academy, they are looking more for the critical-thinking skills that comes with a college degree.

LEO's please correct if I am wrong about this

[Switchback]

So you could major in something like food science and the agency would still want you just because it's a degree? Why? How would this be of any help to them?

Do you think I use my molecular biology on the job? :rolleyes: ...and, trust me, they are getting their money's worth out of me.

It's a gauge... an abitrary scale to measure people against... nothing more.

[mcsap]

MY veterans preference points I was given at the time of hire were because I was a veteran. Didn't matter what branch , didn't matter what my military occupation was. I wore Uncle Sams uniform and was given 10 points.

Kind of like having a degree in molcular biology and doing the Fed LE thing

[Switchback]

MY veterans preference points I was given at the time of hire were because I was a veteran. Didn't matter what branch , didn't matter what my military occupation was. I wore Uncle Sams uniform and was given 10 points.

Kind of like having a degree in molcular biology and doing the Fed LE thing

Oh we get vet points, too... but it was only 5.

[Cougar]

I can't speak for LEOs, but as far as the Coroner's go, the degree has to be in something that pretains to the job like CJ or Bio.

[SargL]

In all honesty, it makes absolutely no difference.

Agencies look for the presence of a degree from an accredited institution, and not at the subject matter studied. Find any degree that interests you, and obtian it. Law enforcement related or economics, Having the degree is all that matters.

Citicop.

I know this is a dated thread, but I couldn't resist. I believe that a two year degree in Administration of Justice is an excellent idea for beginning officers. I have observed two kinds of initial entry officers, those with a degree and the academy and academy graduates only. By in large, those with a degree are easier to train and initially more capable than those without a degree. I attribute this to the fact that academies force feed training at a rapid rate and little or no time is allowed for deep information retention. In short, academy students cram for short term memory but have no significant long term memory. It then becomes the task of the FTO to ingrain long term understanding.

Next, I am not a fan of Bachelors or Masters Degrees in Criminal Justice. I do not believe they adequately impart administrative skills. Whether we want to admit it or not, the truth is; ranks above sergeant are intensely administrative in nature and administrative skills are vital. With this in mind, I believe that a Bachelor’s or Master’s in Business or Public Administration is the best way to go, if one wishes to be prepared to lead.

[renli3d]

My wife told me about a forensic science intern at her crime lab. In sum, he didn't know anything. I know your goal is to be a police officer so the major doesn't really matter, but if one was interested in becoming a forensic scientist it would be better to major in a hard science, such as biology or chemistry. A lot of forensic science curriculums don't require enough chemistry and biology to prepare the student for real work.

[Mukluk]

My wife told me about a forensic science intern at her crime lab. In sum, he didn't know anything. I know your goal is to be a police officer so the major doesn't really matter, but if one was interested in becoming a forensic scientist it would be better to major in a hard science, such as biology or chemistry. A lot of forensic science curriculums don't require enough chemistry and biology to prepare the student for real work.

I think you might want to look at a double-major option or at least having CJ as a minor. Also, I think standing out by being in the top 10% of your class academically carries some weight. Usually, a CJ major requires completion of an internship with department/agency... I really believe an internship is one of the best ways to market yourself to potential agencies. Note, if you are in the top 10% of your graduating class for all undegraduate work attempted/completed, you can be hired directly by the agency (non-competitively).

BTW, you should look at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) College Intern Program. It's highly competitve, but also an AWESOME experience. I'm currently in the program at FLETC and training with a CITP class (mostly ICE students) for just about all the training evolutions, but you also have to work for a division you are assigned to (you are given your own private office). You live on-base at no cost to you and they pay you a stipend about $500 every two weeks to cover some basic costs.

Most of the 6 interns (myself included) are CJ (undergrad or graduate) - I think 2 others are Psych Majors...not sure though.

So, yes, a CJ degree is not a bad idea....perhaps as part of a double major (with a hard science perhaps?), plus score high academically (get in top 10%), be involved in your community (show leadership), and apply for and get an awesome internship and you will be good to go... Good luck.