REQUIREMENTS

General Requirements

Age Requirement – Applicants must be at least 20 years of age on or before the date the application is completed.  Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and cannot have reached their 40th birthday prior to or on the date of appointment as a State Police Cadet.

Residency and Citizenship Requirement – Applicants must be a resident of Pennsylvania and possess a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license upon appointment as a State Police Cadet.  Applicants must be a United States citizen at the time of initial application.

Educational Requirement - Applicants must possess a high school diploma or General Equivalency Degree (GED) plus an Associate's Degree or 60 semester credit hours from an accredited institution of higher learning at the time of application.  One waiver per candidate, as follows, is allowed:

• 30 semester credit hours waived for the applicant with two full years as a full-time police officer.
• 30 semester credit hours waived for the applicant with two full years of any law enforcement experience that encompasses the powers of arrest under State and/or Federal Law, e.g., Liquor Enforcement Officer, Corrections Officer, Probation and Parole Officer, Fish and/or Game Commission Officer.  Determination of relevant law enforcement experience to be made by the Pennsylvania State Police on a case-by-case basis.
• 30 semester credit hours waived for the applicant with at least two years of full active military duty with an Honorable Discharge or who has completed Officer Candidate School and has no term of obligation.
• 15 semester credit hours waived for the applicant who has successfully completed Basic Police Academy (Act 120) training at a MPOETC (www.MPOETC.state.pa.us) certified school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or equivalent POST certified basic law enforcement training in another state.