TWO ISSUES FOR POLICE ADMINISTRATIONS TO CONSIDER ARE RAISED: (1) HOW THE EMPHASIS ON HIGHER EDUCATION AFFECTS PERSONNEL WHO CHOSE A LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER BEFORE EDUCATION BECOME A CRUCIAL ISSUE IN PROMOTIONS, AND (2) WHAT TYPES OF EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE ARE APPOPRIATE TO FURTHER THE GOALS OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS. MOST LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL DO NOT REACT FAVORABLY TO COLLEGE EDUCATION EXPOSURE, PARTICULARY LOWER LEVEL PERSONNEL. TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF COLLEGE EDUCATION ON PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONALISM AND OTHER WORK-RELATED ATTITUDES, A SURVEY OF 136 SWORN PERSONNEL IN THREE SMALL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WAS CONDUCTED. EDUCATION WAS MEASURED BY ACADEMIC DEGREE AND BY THE NUMBER OF COLLEGE UNITS COMPLETED, INCLUDING THE NUMBER OF UNITS DIRECTLY RELATED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT SUCH AS POLICE ADMINISTRATION, POLICE SCIENCE, AND CRIMINOLOGY. WORK STRAIN AND JOB SATISFACTION WERE ALSO EVALUATED. ON THE WHOLE, THE SURVEY FINDINGS WERE NOT FAVORABLE TO GENERAL EDUCATION. SIMILAR FINDINGS EMERGED WHEN THE WAY EDUCATION AFFECTED THE WORK SETTING WAS EXAMINED. COURSES MORE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE WORK OF LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL SHOWED SOME PROMISE IN TERMS OF THEIR IMPACT ON PROFESSIONALISM; THIS EFFECT WAS NOT ALWAYS CONSISTENT, HOWEVER, AND THE SAME ADVANTAGE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT COURSES DID NOT SHOW UP ON WORK STRAIN AND JOB SATISFACTION. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT POLICE DEPARTMENTS CAREFULLY EVALUATE THEIR EDUCATIONAL ORIENTATIONS. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (DEP)