Federal Law Enforcement Jobs Requiring an Associate Degree
Long ago, many law enforcement jobs required little educational experience. However, especially in the federal law enforcement environment, college experience is more likely than not to be a prerequisite for employment.
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Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
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Several federal agencies provide some sort of law enforcement function, including the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Immigration, U.S. Marshals and Deputy Marshals, Customs Inspection Agents, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Federal Air Marshals, United States Coast Guard, U.S Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security Special Agents, Federal Park/Game Rangers and the U.S. Secret Service Special Agents.
Desired Form of Associate Degree
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For many perspective law enforcement applicants, a collegiate program with an undergraduate associates degree in criminal justice is one of the most popular approaches to starting a career in federal law enforcement. Applicants can build on this associate degree program by seeking a more specific major for a bachelor's degree. This can be an especially beneficial approach for perspective applicants who are not certain about what type of federal law enforcement career path they will be following.
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Where to Find Federal Law Enforcement Jobs and Degree Requirements
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The federal government provides a comprehensive listing of federal jobs online (see Resources). As of November 2009, more than 800 federal job openings were related to law enforcement. The degree requirements for these jobs was varied. Applicants looking for additional qualification information could go to the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications website.
Types of Federal Law Enforcement Jobs Available to Associates Degree Holders
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Job holders having an associates degree will be likely to qualify for federal law enforcement support jobs such as dispatcher or detention officer.
Education Alternatives
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Just because a federal law enforcement job might require an applicant to have a four-year degree, it's still possible for an applicant to successfully apply for the job even though he only has a two-year degree. Some of the federal law enforcement jobs will make allowance for a two-year degree in the event that the applicant has experience that would be beneficial to his job performance.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Cliff
