THE STUDY TESTED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE IS RELATED TO BOTH THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND THE TYPE OF COLLEGE DEGREE EARNED. A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF 218 OFFICERS WAS SELECTED FROM THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT SO THAT THREE GROUPS WERE FORMED: 46 COLLEGE GRADUATES, 129 OFFICERS WITH SOME COLLEGE, AND 43 WITH NO COLLEGE. COLLEGE GRADUATES WERE GROUPED UNDER ONE OF THREE AREAS OF STUDY: POLICE SCIENCE (21 OFFICERS), BUSINESS (9), OR LIBERAL ARTS (16). PERFORMANCE REPORTS FOR JULY 1, 1974, TO JUNE 30, 1975, WERE EXAMINED FOR OVERALL PERFORMANCE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, DISCIPLINE, COMMENDABLE ACTIVITY, PREVENTABLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, AND PROMOTIONS. RESULTING DATA WERE TESTED FOR STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO OVERALL PERFORMANCE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, COMMENDABLE ACTIVITY, PREVENTABLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, OR PROMOTIONS. COLLEGE GRADUATES DID HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AGAINST THEM THAN AGAINST OFFICERS WITH NO COLLEGE EDUCATION, HOWEVER. THE TYPE OF COLLEGE DEGREE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO OVERALL PERFORMANCE OR PREVENTIBLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. NEVERTHELESS, POLICE SCIENCE MAJORS RECEIVED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RATINGS FOR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; BUSINESS MAJORS RECEIVED THE GREATEST NUMBER OF FAVORABLE INCIDENT REPORTS; AND BOTH POLICE SCIENCE AND BUSINESS MAJORS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE PROMOTED THAN LIBERAL ARTS MAJORS. RELATED LITERATURE IS REVIEWED. FOOTNOTES, A BIBLIOGRAPHY LISTING, AND APPENDIXES CONTAINING COPIES OF THE DEPARTMENT'S FORMS FOR OFFICER EMPLOYEE INVENTORIES, PERSONNEL RATINGS, AND INCIDENT REPORTS ARE INCLUDED.