English Composition 1
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →FloridaPublic safety
What counts as 'community college degree or equivalent' for Florida officers
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
For Florida's officer salary incentive, a community college degree or equivalent means one of three things under s. 943.22(1)(c): graduation from an accredited community college, a degree under s. 1007.25, or 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) plus eligibility to receive an associate degree. The hours must come from an accredited institution.
The three ways to qualify
Read the definition closely, because each route has its own proof.
- Graduation from an accredited community college: your diploma and transcript
- A degree granted under s. 1007.25: the Florida public college degree route
- 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours and eligibility to receive an associate degree: a transcript plus the college's confirmation of eligibility
The part people miss: eligibility
Sixty hours on their own are not the test. The statute adds and eligibility to receive an associate degree. That means the hours have to fit the college's associate degree requirements: general education, any required subjects and the college's residency rules. An officer with 60 scattered hours from three schools may not be eligible anywhere until one college reviews them together.
The fix is to pick one college early and ask it to build your hours into a degree plan.
What accredited means here
Section 943.22(1)(a) defines an accredited institution by its accreditor: the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, another regional accrediting agency, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, or an agency recognised in the US Department of Education's database. Your agency checks the accreditor of the institution on your transcript.
Where online courses fit
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. Our courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. They help only if an accredited college reviews them and places them on its own transcript inside your associate degree plan. The credit reaches that college via a college transcript, and the college decides.
| Course | Typical slot in an associate plan |
|---|---|
| English Composition 1 | General education: communication |
| Introduction to Psychology | General education: social science |
| Introduction to Sociology | General education: social science |
| Introduction to Criminology | Elective or major course |
A short checklist
Before you take any course, have these answers in writing.
- Your agency: which transcript and which proof of eligibility it needs
- Your college: how many of your existing hours it counts, including academy credit
- Your college: which outside courses it will review and where they would sit
- Your college: how many hours you still need to be eligible for the associate degree
Why one college should hold your hours
Associate degree rules differ from college to college. One may need a set number of hours taken there, another may limit how much outside credit it counts, and each sets its own general education list. If you spread courses across several places without a plan, you can pass 60 hours and still not be eligible anywhere.
Choosing one accredited college early fixes that. Send it every transcript you have, including academy records, and ask for a written review that lists what counts and what is left. Then plan only the courses on that list. When the college confirms you are eligible for the associate degree, take that confirmation and the transcript to your agency's HR or training office.
Keep copies of every email. If your agency asks later how the hours were counted, the written answers from the college are your proof.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your agency's training or HR office in writing which transcript it accepts for the salary incentive, and ask your college in writing which courses it will place in your degree plan, before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Do 90 quarter hours count the same as 60 semester hours?
Yes. The statute names both: 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours, together with eligibility to receive an associate degree. If your record mixes the two systems, ask the college to convert and confirm the total in writing.
Does a criminal justice certificate count?
Not as such. The test is a degree, or 60 hours plus eligibility for an associate degree. Credit from a certificate can count toward those hours if the college places it in the degree plan; ask the college.
Can I use credit from more than one college?
Usually yes, if one college reviews it all and confirms you are eligible for its associate degree. Send every transcript to that college and ask it to confirm, in writing, how many hours count and what is left.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Introduction to Sociology
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Criminology
Self-paced online Introduction to Criminology course (Criminology 150). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Criminology, psychology, sociology and composition are all on PRO. Check with your college and agency first.
Sources
- Florida Statutes s. 943.22: Salary incentive program for full-time officers (official)$30 a month for a community college degree or equivalent; an additional $50 for a bachelor's degree; $120 for 480 hours of career development training; $130 monthly cap; equivalent = 60 semester or 90 quarter hours and eligibility to receive an associate degree; accredited institution defined in (1)(a); no education incentive where the job requires a 4-year degree. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.