Police Administration Career Information and Education Requirements

Bachelor's and a master's degrees in law enforcement administration are required for students who want to work in police administration. Positions with a high amount of responsibility and control also require many years of experience. Some common job titles in police administration include chief of police, director of security operations and chief probation officer.

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Career Information

A typical police administrative position, such as a police chief, is responsible for the hiring of police officers, sergeants and captains. Police chiefs make assessments about how each of these officer categories are performing as a whole. They also try to decrease crime by developing strong relationships with community members. Additionally, a police chief is responsible for developing a budget and working with other law enforcement agencies to help apprehend criminals who may have committed a crime in another state.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), the employment of supervisors and managers of detectives and police officers is expected to increase by eight percent for the 2008-2018 period. Local law enforcement agencies provide the best opportunity for employment, and agencies located in densely populated urban areas generally have many openings. However, urban police departments have to deal with a greater amount of crime, which may deter prospective job applicants. Salary.com reports that the median annual salary for a police chief in 2009 was $93,980.

Educational Requirements

Many police administration positions require that job applicants have at least a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or police administration and some years of work experience in law enforcement. The work experience requirement may be substituted with an advanced degree in police administration. Job applicants should understand common law enforcement practices and be familiar with laws at the local, state and federal level.

Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

An undergraduate degree in law enforcement administration is generally open to prospective students from law enforcement backgrounds as well as those who have no law enforcement experience. A student enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in law enforcement learns about leadership, criminal behavior, social policy, community policing and ethics. Some law enforcement administration degree programs may also allow for minor areas of study.

Master of Science in Police Administration

A master's degree program in police administration provides students with a specialized course of study in the field. The degree requires the completion of a thesis paper or capstone project during the final semester of enrollment. However, before a student begins on his or her project, a series of foundation and major area courses must first be completed. Foundation courses introduce theories and methods of research in criminal justice. Research courses also stress the importance of statistics. Core area classes cover topics such as police management, organizational behavior, leadership, ethics and budgeting.

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