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Law Enforcement & Firefighting

“Instructional programs that focus on the principles and procedures for providing homeland security, police, fire, and other safety services and managing penal institutions. Note: this series is titled Security and Protective Services”" in the Canadian CIP."""

Types of Degrees Law Enforcement & Firefighting Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Law Enforcement & Firefighting have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8,039
Associate’s Degree	28,147
Bachelor’s Degree	54,278
Master’s Degree	41,175
Doctor’s Degree	355

What Law Enforcement & Firefighting Majors Need to Know

Programs in Law Enforcement & Firefighting emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Law Enforcement & Firefighting emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Law Enforcement & Firefighting program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Law Enforcement & Firefighting careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Law Enforcement & Firefighting professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates include:

• Investigator
• Law Enforcement Specialist
• Criminalist
• Police Investigator
• Identification Officer
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Safety Supervisor
• Police Officer
• Sheriff’s Detective
• State Trooper
• Police Inspector
• CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
• Deputy Sheriff
• Special Investigator
• Special Agent

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	31.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	26.5%
Some college courses	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.3%
Postsecondary certificate	7.8%
Master’s degree	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.4%
Doctoral degree	1.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Law Enforcement & Firefighting?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.6% women and 52.4% men among Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	64,034	47.6%
Men	70,428	52.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	61,829	46.0%
Asian	3,436	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	36,821	27.4%
Black or African American	18,835	14.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	961	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	522	0.4%
Two or More Races	4,759	3.5%
Race Unknown	6,027	4.5%
International Students	1,272	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Law Enforcement & Firefighting Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,426
4 years	$44,811
5 years	$50,649

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $50,649 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Law Enforcement & Firefighting Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Law Enforcement & Firefighting. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	445	224
Bachelor’s	408	256
Master’s	298	112
Doctoral (Research)	19	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Law Enforcement & Firefighting Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Law Enforcement & Firefighting graduates earn a median of $44,811 four years after completion — roughly 18% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.