Online law enforcement degrees equip students with skills in leading police teams, developing law enforcement strategies tailored for different communities, and conducting thorough police investigations. While the majority of course work is delivered online, students may be asked to complete field work that allows them to gain hands-on skills in policing, depending on the program.
Assignments in a law enforcement program might include devising a strategy for addressing drug problems in a certain neighborhood, or coming up with solutions for a crisis situation while on the job. Course work covers topics in crisis communication and management, writing criminal reports, ethical issues in law enforcement, contemporary policing strategies, and crime pattern analysis.
Online law enforcement degree programs feature much of the same course work as a general criminal justice degree, and course work may encompass corrections, the courts, juvenile delinquency, and criminal justice research. However, the core of the program will focus on the distinctive role of state, local, and federal law enforcement in America’s criminal justice system.
Students who graduate from law enforcement programs may go on to become police and detectives, which might include police field supervisors, sheriff’s deputies, highway patrol, state troopers, or U.S. Marshals and their deputies. With relevant experience and education, other options might be available with the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, or Central Intelligence Agency. Local law enforcement roles might include drug enforcement, canine unit, SWAT team, cyber crime unit, domestic violence unit, and more.