The growing trend among colleges and universities across the country is to convince people to make education a life-long pursuit, as opposed to a short journey with a specific destination. Unlike the in-service training schools that are geared to deliver a short body of information in a limited time frame, institutional learning promotes continued study over a lifetime to facilitate personal growth and peace of mind. Part of the reason institutions take this approach is pure survival—higher education today is a highly competitive arena that takes an aggressive marketing program to attract students.

Selling the concept of acquiring more education to people is no different than selling any other commodity or service, but with education there is a plus—those who acquire more of it can usually use their education to increase their value and bargain for higher wages and better professional positions.

Tuition Reimbursement

Many departments reimburse officers for courses taken that are applicable to their jobs. Some agencies will foot the bill for all courses taken, regardless of whether or not it's applicable to their position. However, it's fair to say that most agencies will not pay in advance for course work taken outside of areas assigned by that agency. There may be a financial incentive for a degree completed, or possibly a status change with the agency that would result in a higher pay base, but for the most part, paying for outside educational credits is up to the agent.

This is not meant in any way to discourage officers from acquiring college credits and degrees. These things are highly valued throughout law enforcement, just as they are in the business world, and those who show the initiative and drive to complete a degree understand that the rewards for such an accomplishment aren't always expressed in dollars and cents. Gaining knowledge and insight helps to shape character and enhances the ability to understand other points of view, and those abilities are essential for law enforcement work.

Evaluating Whether a Higher Degree Is for You

Obtaining advanced degrees is certainly commendable, but usually an unnecessary requirement for a law enforcement job. Individual enforcement agents who do continue their education and pursue higher degrees should be encouraged to do so for self-improvement and the value of the academic achievement.

Planning ahead for retirement from law enforcement is also a good reason for continued study. There are plenty of positions in the law enforcement community that require advanced degrees (see Chapter 6), and possession of such degrees puts an officer in a good bargaining position when an opening comes up. But a balance must be struck when weighing the educational pursuit with the eventual reward. It is fine to do the course work and write the thesis for a Ph.D. in forensic sciences when you are in your twentieth year of police service, but you need to weigh what value that degree will have at that stage of life. After twenty years of service, most law enforcement agents are looking toward retirement or starting a new career.