Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The Wisconsin police officer education requirements say an officer first hired on or after 1 February 1993 needs a two-year associate degree or 60 college credits within five years of hire. The Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) decides. Only credit from an accredited college counts, so UPI Study credit helps only once such a college puts it on its own transcript.
Under Wis. Admin. Code LES 2.01(1)(e) and LESB form DJ-LE-331 (Rev. 6/2026), an officer first hired on or after 1 February 1993 must hold a two-year associate degree or at least 60 college credits from an accredited college, employed officers must reach this within their first 5 years, and pre-service students need 40 credits to enrol in the academy.
The rule asks for 60 college credits or an associate degree (40 to enter the academy as a pre-service student). The legal source is Wis. Admin. Code LES 2.01(1)(e).
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who it covers | Law enforcement and tribal law enforcement officers first hired on or after 1 February 1993 | [1] |
| Education standard | Two-year associate degree from a WTCS district or accredited equivalent, or at least 60 college credits | [1] |
| Deadline | Employed officers: within the first 5 years of employment | [1] |
| Academy entry | Pre-service students: at least 40 credits before enrolling in the academy | [1] |
| Source of credit | Only colleges accredited by an agency the US Secretary of Education acknowledges | [1] |
| Waiver | Up to 60 credits on the current form (the published code text says 30 for experience); academy 720 hours = 20 credits | [1] |
Wisconsin Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB), Training and Standards Bureau decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Wisconsin Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB), Training and Standards Bureau.
Core criminal justice topic many police science and criminal justice associate degrees list as a general requirement.
Self-paced online Introduction to Criminology course (Criminology 150). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Common social science requirement in associate degrees; useful for crisis and behaviour work.
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Social science general education credit that most associate and bachelor plans include.
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 →
Written communication credit nearly every associate degree requires; report writing is a daily task for officers.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Ethics elective that fits criminal justice and liberal studies plans.
Self-paced online Ethics in the Social Sciences course (Social Science 110). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Writing elective for officers who want stronger report writing on the record.
Self-paced online Advanced Technical Writing course (English 120). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; check each partner's own transfer pages and get its answer in writing before you rely on a course.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Wisconsin technical college (Fox Valley Technical College, resident) | $157.45 per credit, 2026-2027 | About $1,889 for 12 credits or $3,779 for 24, before fees and books | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | Similar monthly cost; check which of its courses your college considers | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus a course fee (for example $79) | About $178 for the first course, then the course fee for each further course | 15 Nov 2026 |
The technical college route is the default in Wisconsin and gives you a transcript directly. Online courses cost less per credit but need a college to put the credit on its transcript, which may carry its own fees.
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.
Ask the college that will hold your credits in writing which courses it will consider, and ask your agency's training officer or the LESB Training and Standards Bureau in writing how many credits you still need, before you enrol.
Wisconsin lets you start work before you finish the education standard. An agency can hire you, send you to the 720-hour academy and certify you, and you then have five years to reach the associate degree or 60 credits. If you take the pre-service route instead, where you attend an academy as a student before any agency hires you, you need 40 credits before the academy will enrol you.
The academy itself can count. If you complete the 720-hour law enforcement academy at a non-degree institution, the LESB can waive 20 credits, which leaves 40 to earn. If your academy was at a technical college that already gave you diploma credit for it, that credit is on your transcript and no waiver is needed.
The LESB form is direct: only colleges and universities accredited by an agency the US Secretary of Education acknowledges are a source of college credit. That rules out credit that sits only on a course provider's record, including ours. It does not rule out the courses themselves. When an accredited college reviews an ACE or NCCRS credit recommendation and lists the credit on its own transcript, that transcript comes from an accredited college.
This is why the path on this page always ends with a college transcript. Pick the college first, ask it in writing which courses it will consider, then study. Wisconsin technical colleges and UW campuses each set their own transfer rules, so one college's answer does not bind another.
The education standard is one line of LES 2.01. The same rule also covers the other employment standards, such as age, a high school diploma or its equivalent, a background check, and completing the preparatory training course. Your agency checks these when it hires you. This page covers only the college credit part; read the full LES 2.01 text for the rest.
60 college credits or a two-year associate degree, for officers first hired on or after 1 February 1993. Employed officers have five years from hire to reach it. Pre-service students need 40 credits before they can enrol in the academy. The LESB sets the rule in Wis. Admin. Code LES 2.01(1)(e) and on form DJ-LE-331.
No bachelor's degree is required. The standard is a two-year associate degree or 60 college credits, and an agency can hire you before you have them as long as you reach the standard within your first five years of employment. Some agencies set a higher bar for their own hiring, so check the job posting.
Yes, through the LESB waiver. Completing the 720-hour law enforcement academy at a non-degree institution can be waived as 20 credits. If a technical college already gave you diploma credit for the academy, that credit is on its transcript instead. Ask the LESB in writing which applies to you.
Only if they reach a transcript from a college accredited by an agency the US Secretary of Education acknowledges. Online courses from such a college count like any other. Courses from a provider with ACE or NCCRS recommendations count only once an accredited college lists the credit on its own transcript.
The rule says the standard must be met to be recertified at the end of the fifth year of employment. Your certification depends on it, so plan the credits early and ask your agency's training officer in writing about your exact date and what you still need.
Two bodies. The accredited college decides whether to put a course on its transcript. The LESB, through the DOJ Training and Standards Bureau, decides whether your record meets the standard and acts on waiver requests at its quarterly meetings. Get both answers in writing.
Every course in one plan; move the credit via a college transcript once the college confirms in writing.