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Building official education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a building official. Building officials usually study business, architecture, or property management. 51% of building officials hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 126 real building official resumes to see exactly what building official education sections show.
The most common colleges for building officials are the Auburn University Main Campus and the Auburn University Main Campus.
There are also many online building official courses to help get the education required to be a building official.
What education do you need to become a building official?
What degree do you need to be a building official?
- Bachelor's, 51%
- Associate, 20%
- High School Diploma, 15%
- Master's, 7%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a building official?
- Business, 24%
- Architecture, 12%
- Property Management, 10%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for building officials
| Building official common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Auburn University Main Campus | 8.70% |
| University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | 8.70% |
| Texas A&M University | 8.70% |
| Western Washington University | 4.35% |
| Syracuse University | 4.35% |
Best majors for building officials
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 23.5% |
| 2 | Architecture | 11.8% |
| 3 | Property Management | 9.8% |
| 4 | Civil Engineering | 7.8% |
| 5 | Public Administration | 5.9% |
Best colleges for building officials
The best colleges for building officials are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A building official with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for building officials. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become building officials.
1. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
20 best online courses for building officials
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Top 10 most affordable universities for building officials
The most affordable schools for building officials are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and florida state university.
If the best universities for building officials are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for building officials.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for building officials
The hardest universities for building officials to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for building officials are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for building officials based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
10. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for building officials
The easiest schools for building officials to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a building official without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for building officials.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average building official salary by education level
| Building official education level | Building official salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $45,894 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,014 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,484 |
Building official education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025