I’m doing Policing and Forensics in an England uni and wished to do law enforcement in US. Everyone said I’d need a green card, so I planned to transfer to a US college and do a master or other degree. What would be the best degree to do for law enforcement job and what college. I’ve done some research and seen that there are the obvious psychology, criminology, accounting, etc. What else would help me stand out? Would I need someone to vouch and recommend me?
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There are quite a few colleges and universities with criminal justice programs here. You might check out what appeals, geographically and otherwise, and apply there. John Jay and Northeastern get you that New York City or Boston experience, respectively, and cost of living. UC Irvine gets you palm trees, beaches, and SoCal traffic. Penn State gets you what I think would be a uniquely American style university experience, including (American) football.
I’m just pulling those off of a list. I’m not sure what their graduate programs look like, or if they have any. But I would also expect that it is easier to get hired out of a program reasonably locally. So, if you wanted to end up in New York, don’t start in California.
I wouldn’t recommend Liberty University unless you are super into Jesus stuff.
A criminal justice degree would be the usual degree for entering law enforcement in the US. Few police officers have master’s degrees, most have only an associate’s degree or at most a bachelor’s degree.
Generally you have to be a US Citizen to be a police officer. There are certainly some exceptions and some departments may hire you with just a green card, but it’s going to make getting hired harder.
Remember there are about 18,000 Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies in the US, everything from small-town police departments and rural Sheriff’s departments, to state police/highway patrol departments, to Federal agencies. They all can have somewhat different rules, but typically each state will at least have basic minimum certification standards for law enforcement in their state, but each department and agency can have their own rules on top of the minimums for their jurisdiction.
>and wished to do law enforcement in US
Man…you couldn’t pay me enough lol
My alma mater, Western Carolina University, had an extensive forensics department but I’m not sure if they offered a master’s. Bonus: it’s in an absolutely beautiful part of the country so if they offer it you should look into it.
What’s that? You’d like a story? Ok!
Not sure how true this is, so it’s one of *those* stories, but…
The forensics department is pretty well known and well funded and it’s said that they have “body farms” where they bury cadavers so students can see various stages of decomposition and all that.
Apparently one of these farms is near a river so students can see how decomposition is different is in wet areas.
So long story short, big storms led to flooding rivers. Flooding rivers led to a flooded body farm. The flooded body farm led to a bunch of partially decomposed bodies washing up on some poor dudes land down stream and him being like “excuse me, what in the fuck is this?”
I mean… Most cops here don’t need a college degree let alone masters, so I assume you’re wanting to get into something more specialized than being an patrol officer, so it really depends on what part of the criminal justice system you want to work in.
That said, most law enforcement jobs require you to be a u.s. citizen.
You might be able to get a job with a private forensics lab or something, but unless you’re looking to pursue full U.S. citizenship then you probably won’t be able to get many law enforcement jobs in the U.S.
Edit: if you’re dead set on being a cop in America (honestly, don’t know why anyone would want that, but who am I to judge) but if that’s what you want, you’re already way ahead in terms of education experience. Most city cops don’t have any college/university degree or at most might have an associate’s degree (2 year). So if you had a master’s degree in criminology or something you’d be considered overqualified probably. Your biggest hurdle will be your citizenship.
Hi there, I used to help British students get settled in the US. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.
> What would be the best degree to do for law enforcement job and what college
This will vary immensely based on the specific position and agency you’re looking for. There are hundreds of grad schools to choose from that would be good for you, which one you go with is largely a matter of personal taste and ambition.
> What else would help me stand out?
Good grades, previous experience, professional qualifications, personal qualifications, cultural “fit” etc. Demonstrate your value
> Would I need someone to vouch and recommend me?
No, but a personal letter of recommendation from somebody in the field (particularly somebody of rank) would be a good idea.
A Criminal Justice degree wouldn’t hurt, but most departments don’t really care what your degree is in. I have a cop buddy who has a degree in psychology and another with a degree in civil engineering.
Criminal Justice programs are a dime-a-dozen, but [here](https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-criminal-justice/) is a list with some of the most highly rated programs.
My father is a retired state police officer. I can’t speak to exactly which programs and degrees will suit the specific agency or positions you’d like and would be appropriate in 2022, but I’m happy to share his experience.
He received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and then entered the state police recruit school. While a police officer, he went back to school and received a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science and then a Doctorate in Adult Education and Counseling. He retired as a Major and worked in numerous positions and divisions within the state police during his 27-year-career including patrol officer, swat team leader, Training Academy Teacher, Post Commander Human Resources Director, Director of Legislative Affairs, and Deputy Director of the Sate Police. A lot of his promotions and upward momentum in the organization were a combination of his skills, work ethic, personality, and education.
Feel free to ask if you’d like to know anything else. Good luck to you!
So immigration to the US, like the UK and other wealthy countries, isn’t as simple as simply wanting to work there.
Getting a degree in the US doesn’t lead directly to a green card and public sector jobs very rarely sponsor green cards. I’d assume law enforcement would sponsor even less often than most public sector work.
You may have better luck looking for private sector jobs related to the justice system, but I don’t work anywhere near that field, so don’t know anything about what sorts of jobs might be available specifically that can sponsor, though non-profits are able to sponsor without the numerical limits of private industry. So that could give you a direction to consider. A green card isn’t something you should just assume is likely to happen without extra effort and inquiry and your part.
The other path to a green card is to marry an American citizen, and then your spouse could sponsor you. If you’re single now, you’re in luck that grad school is a very common time for people to meet a future spouse, so if you put effort into dating seriously, it’s a possible path to a green card.
Each school is going to have their own specific requirements and procedures for international students.
You’re going to want to ask people in the fields you’re looking at what are the best schools to apply to. Talk to recent grads if you can.
Don’t know about which degree you’d need but there are student visas available for grad school. It’s a very big business for schools here. Green card not required.
Law enforcement is a large umbrealla in the US. The qualifications for a cop who does street rips is going to be vastly different than a Secret Service agent who tracks down counterfeit currency, or an FBI agent who tackles organized crime, or a USPS Postal Inspector.
The Postal Inspectors are also very badass and have a ridiculously high conviction rate. You do not want to fuck with the USPS mail, or those that deliver it.
[Some idiot killed a USPS mail carrier a couple years ago in Indianapolis](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/tony-cushingberry-pleads-guilty-second-degree-murder-us-postal-worker). The feds caught him within like 24 hours, and he pled guilty to second degree murder. Dude is probably going away for life in a federal prison.
You do not need a green card to study in the United States. You enter under a separate visa specifically for students, and return home after your education program has concluded. Alternatively, you get hired by someone in the United States and get a work visa, which you can eventually get a green card through.
There are a lot of different law enforcement options at both the state and federal level. Some may require you to be a citizen, others may not. Do your research and talk to people about what paths may be open to you.
Your best path to the law enforcement field as a foreigner who already has a bachelor’s degree might be law school. Law enforcement agencies sometimes hire lawyers as law enforcement officers. If not, they all have lawyers advising them or representing them in court.