College: Associates vs. Bachelors Degree

[Redman]

Go for the BS and start working towards it as soon as you graduate high school. If you put it off getting your degree, it becomes harder to get. I've known many people who have said they will get their degree later...and it usually never happens because other obligations that come into their lives.

[tpdexplorer62]

I will have my AS degree in aless than a year. Pair that with the coast guard and working as loss prevention for sears im hoping my experiance will pay off.

All you need is an AS to get hired.

[Law Knight]

I don't have a BS in CJ, but if I had it to do over again I'd probably have minored in CJ and got a major in either Spanish or accounting. These fields aren't for everyone, but definitely nothing wrong with picking a major that is marketable outside the CJ field.

Thanks for the advice. I may go for some type of degree in english. It has always been easy for me and it relates to report writing I guess.

[Kimble]

All you need is an AS to get hired.

Again, not always true. Let's be careful of what info we try to pass as "absolute truth" here, as department policies vary and are often very different from region to region, and even department to department. Some departments DO require a bachelors degree to be hired. Certainly not all, and probably not most, but they do indeed exist. On the other end of the spectrum, some departments "require" nothing higher than a high school diploma or GED, but often you have to have some sort of work experience to make you qualified as many candidates today come to the table with at least an associates degree in their academic background.

[Kimble]

It has always been easy for me and it relates to report writing I guess.

Actually I think that's a very good idea. Report writing is your bread and butter in law enforcement. If you can write well, you can be an outstanding LEO, whether in patrol, investigations or climbing up the rank.

[Law Knight]

I see.

My only concern is that if something did happen and I couldn't continue in LE, like an injury or something, what other jobs could I get with that type of degree?

The only careers I can think of are like authors and teachers which I really don't want to do.

[Kimble]

I see.

My only concern is that if something did happen and I couldn't continue in LE, like an injury or something, what other jobs could I get with that type of degree?

The only careers I can think of are like authors and teachers which I really don't want to do.

Lots of jobs out there require a degree, but not in a specific field of study. I recall a congressman coming to my college graduation saying he loved hiring English majors to be speech writers. I'll let you do your own homework as to what sort of jobs are out there, but if you have a degree (in CJ, business, basket weaving or whatever) you can find gainful employment.

[Law Knight]

That makes sense. Thanks ROS.

[BP348]

Yeah, I was talking with a few of the officers here and I am not going to get a Criminal Justice degree. One of them said thy are a dime a dozen within the applicants applying with my town's police department.

What did he expect? :confused: That's like being surprised that you accountant has an accounting degree :rolleyes: Most people who choose to get a C.J. degree are in some way interested in a Law Enforcement type job.

Like ROS, I recommend the 4 year degree. It helps much more than the 2 year degree and you never know what your department may require in order to move up the ladder. I know my local PD requires their officers to have a Masters degree for Capt and above. Believe me it’s very hard to go to school while working. So it’s better to have the degree before hand.

Now should you get your degree in CJ? Well that's up to you. I have an Associates in CJ as well as a bachelors in Criminology and will soon have a Masters in Sociology. I'm pretty lucky I joined one of the few federal agencies that doesn’t require college. So I studied what interested me.

Would I do it again? Who knows but I do know that a Bachelors or Masters in Anything will open a lot more doors for you in any field (say you get hurt) then no degree or just a 2 year degree.

While you’re in High school keep after those English classes and I would also recommend Typing.

[Law Knight]

Thanks BP348.

I'm going to look into some psychology stuff when that time comes around. It deals with understanding people which would be great with law enforcement and it would be very interesting as well. I might minor in CJ.

On the other hand I could get a Police Science Associates Degree and then finish up two years at a different college if they let me transfer credits and such.

I guess I have some time to think about it and go with the flow until then.

[Kimble]

On the other hand I could get a Police Science Associates Degree and then finish up two years at a different college if they let me transfer credits and such.

Careful about going to one school for an AS/AA then going elsewhere for a BS/BA. If you go to a community college you should be fine, as these are state schools that are regionally accredited (i.e. the same accreditation as your major state universities). There are some private colleges who offer AS/AA degrees (many also offer BS/BA and even master's degrees) but are nationally accredited. I could go on and on about the differences between national and regional accreditation, but I won't since all that info is already available on this site (click here).

Suffice to say, you want to make sure your credits will transfer, and often times credits from a nationally accredited college WILL NOT transfer to a regionally accredited school.

Long story short: do your homework before you enroll in a program.

[Law Knight]

I see. The college I plan to get my Associate's Degree is Alexandria Tech and I'm not sure where I want to go after that. I'll look into that before I enroll though.

[BP348]

I see. The college I plan to get my Associate's Degree is Alexandria Tech and I'm not sure where I want to go after that. I'll look into that before I enroll though.

I would try and decide that ASAP. It's very important you ensure that all your credits transfer and that the school is accredited.

I got my associates through a community college and then transferred to a University for my Bachelors and Masters.

Social Sciences (psychology, sociology, ect...) are great and very interesting but if you're interested in a degree that will help you if you get hurt or for some reason decide you don’t like Law Enforcement then I would recommend something like business, accounting, or engineering.

Most social sciences require that you have a masters, or better yet a doctoral before they can earn you a living. But, they are interesting.