Higher education and law enforcement career paths: Is the road to success paved by degree?

This study examines the effects of education on the career paths of Texas law enforcement officers holding advanced or specialized positions. It addresses the distribution of officers by rank and by assignment pattern, and the variance in career paths explained by respondents' education. Findings show that higher education reduces time required for movement in rank and assignment to specialized positions and was positively correlated to promotion into supervisory and administrative posts. Implications are that higher education will enhance an officer's probability of rising to the top regardless of whether the agency requires a college degree as a precondition of employment.