Police higher education in China

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the development of police higher education in China since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Different from Western countries, police higher education in China bears its own characteristics. There are both national police universities and provincial police colleges or academies around the country, providing associate degree, undergraduate degree and postgraduate education. The education in these institutions includes both liberal studies that other universities provide and specialized courses aimed to train a police officer. Most graduates from these institutions will become police officers after attending competitive State Civil Service Examinations. These institutions also provide courses for in-service police training nationally or within a certain province. In addition, some comprehensive universities in China have also set up colleges or schools that offer police studies programs or forensic studies courses. In this chapter, the author first introduces the history of police higher education in China, with an emphasis on the development after the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978. The author also illustrates the police education and training system in China and introduces the main police universities, police colleges and police academies together with the main education and training programs they offer.