Check out our dates for Law Enforcement Academy Day and Night Classes.
The Missouri Southern State University Law Enforcement Academy is certified by the Missouri Department of Public Safety to provide a basic law enforcement academy in Missouri.
Students who successfully complete the 600 Hour Certified Law Enforcement Academy at Missouri Southern State University, pass the Missouri Peace Officer Certification and Licensing Examination, and meet certification requirements for a Peace Officer in Missouri receive a Class A License as a Peace Officer in Missouri. A Peace Officer License does not empower you with the authority to arrest or enforce any of the laws of the State of Missouri. This will only occur after you have been employed by a law enforcement agency and commissioned by that agency. A Class A License is valid for a period of five years. If a person is not employed as a Peace Officer within five years of receiving their licenses it expires.
Once hired by a law enforcement agency the officer will be required to complete a minimum of 48 hours of continuing education every three years to renew their license. Four hours of continuing education must be completed in each of the four core curricula areas: Legal Studies, Interpersonal Perspectives, Technical Studies, and Skill Development, within the Skill Development area four hours must be firearms related. The remaining 36 hours may be completed within any of the four curricula areas. Effective January 1, 2003 all peace officers must receive one hour of racial profiling training per year as part of their continuing education requirement, this racial profiling training will count toward the overall 48 hours required continuing education in the three year reporting period.
Upon completion of the Law Enforcement Academy applicants that meet Missouri POST certification requirements will be eligible to take the Missouri Peace Officer Certification and Licensing Examination. The certification and licensing examination is a 200-point objective examination administered by the Missouri Department of Public Safety the last week of the Law Enforcement Academy. For further information regarding the Missouri Peace Officer Certification and Licensing Examination you may visit the Department of Public Safety website at www.dps.mo.gov/POST/Main/.
Day classes are scheduled to meet 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and occasional Saturdays. Night classes are scheduled to meet 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (occasional 11:00 p.m.), Monday through Thursday evenings. Night classes will meet about nine (9) Saturdays (times are subject to change).
Tuition and costs change on a yearly basis. Below are the average costs of the total tuition and required costs as of Spring 2019:
Tuition and costs: $6,039
Books and supplies: $1,325
On-Campus room & Board: $3,311
*Average amounts shown above include in-state costs for the entire program, assuming normal time to completion. Note that the information is subject to change.
Applicants must be at least 20 years of age to begin a class. Applicants must be 21 years of age, a United States citizen, and have a high school diploma or its equivalent at the time certification is issued. An applicant with a criminal history must receive Missouri POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) clearance before he or she can attend a class. Proof of medical insurance is required.
The following information is required to be reported by the U.S. Department of Education.
As discussed above, students can complete the 600 Hour Certified Basic Law Enforcement Academy by enrolling in either the Day or Night Academy. The Day Academy is one semester (4 months) long and is offered in either the Fall or Spring. The Night Academy is two semesters (8 months) and offered each Fall semester.
The Academy provides students with the training required to become eligible to be licensed peace officers (SOC Code 33-3051.01) in the State of Missouri. To find more information on occupational profiles, please visit O*NET online and search by occupation's title or by the SOC Code provided.
58 students completed the academy for the academic year 2007-08. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 58 students, 31 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $1750
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
50 students completed the academy for the academic year 2008-09. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 50 students, 23 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $0
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
104 students completed the academy for the academic year 2009-10.100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 104 students, 70 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $4441
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
87 students completed the academy for the academic year 2010-11. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 87 students, 61 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $3750
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
44 students completed the academy for the academic year 2011-12. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 44 students, 32 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $3263.50
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
55 students completed the academy for the academic year 2012-13. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 55 students, 36 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $3250.00
Private Loan Debt $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
56 students completed the academy for the academic year 2013-14. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 56 students, 41 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. This means that 71% of program graduates used loans to help finance their costs for this program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $3628.00
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
59 students completed the academy for the academic year 2014-2015. 100% of the students completing the academy did so in normal time. Of those 59 students, 46 incurred student loan debt to complete the program. This means that 78% of program graduates used loans to help finance their costs for this program. For all students completing the program, the median cumulative debt is as follows:
Federal Student Loan Debt: $4517.50
Private Loan Debt: $0
Institutional Financing Plan Debt: $0
*Our institution is not currently required to calculate a job placement rate for those completing the program.
For further information, visit the Law Enforcement Academy website or contact Matt Cowdin at (417) 625-9519 or by e-mail at cowdin-m@mssu.edu
