Academe versus academy: Faculty views on awarding academic credit for police training*

Abstract

An emerging debate among criminal justice (CJ) educators concerns awarding academic credit for professional training experiences. The key point of contention within this debate is whether such training is analogous to learning experiences obtained in the college classroom. Using survey data from the state of Illinois, the authors explore how CJ educators view this issue in the context of police training. Findings suggest that the strongest factor predicting respondents’ views of awarding college credit for professional training experiences was their orientation toward the “vocational” model of criminal justice education (CJE). Respondents who believe CJE should focus on imparting technical skills and preparing students for an entry‐level position in CJ were more supportive of awarding academic credit to students who completed professional training than were respondents who endorsed alternative models of CJE. After controlling for respondent orientation toward the vocation model, neither highest degree earned nor CJ experience significantly affect preferences for the awarding of college credit. Consideration is given to the pedagogical implications of these findings within the broader debate over the structure and content of CJE. * An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2003 meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Boston, MA. The authors thank James Niermann for his assistance with this project and the anonymous reviewers for their insights. The quality of police service will not significantly improve until higher educational requirements are established for its personnel. Due to the nature of the police task and its effect on our society, there is need to elevate educational requirements to the level of a college degree from an accredited institution for all future personnel selected to perform the functions of a police agent. The demands on the police should preclude a lower requirement for persons responsible for confronting major crime and social problems. (President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice 1967:126)