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Chief petty officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a chief petty officer. Chief petty officers usually study business, general studies, or management. 48% of chief petty officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,073 real chief petty officer resumes to see exactly what chief petty officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for chief petty officers are the Excelsior College and the Excelsior College.

There are also many online chief petty officer courses to help get the education required to be a chief petty officer.

There are certain chief petty officer certifications that you should consider. These chief petty officer certifications include EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

What education do you need to become a chief petty officer?

What degree do you need to be a chief petty officer?

The most common degree for chief petty officers is bachelor's degree, with 48% of chief petty officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 32% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 48%
  • Associate, 32%
  • High School Diploma, 9%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a chief petty officer?

You should major in business to become a chief petty officer. 28% of chief petty officers major in business. Other common majors for a chief petty officer include general studies and management.

Most common colleges for chief petty officers

Chief petty officers often get their degrees at Excelsior College, University of Phoenix, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Here are the most common colleges for chief petty officers in the US based on their resumes.
Chief petty officer common collegePercentages
Excelsior College16.64%
University of Phoenix15.14%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale11.65%
Saint Leo University10.98%
American University5.49%

Best majors for chief petty officers

Best colleges for chief petty officers

The best colleges for chief petty officers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A chief petty officer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chief petty officers. 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 chief petty officers.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

5. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

6. SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Canton, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,389

Enrollment

3,127

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Lewis-Clark State College

Lewiston, ID • Private

In-state tuition

$6,618

Enrollment

2,787

10. Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$22,046

Enrollment

1,294

20 best online courses for chief petty officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for chief petty officers

The most affordable schools for chief petty officers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for chief petty officers 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 chief petty officers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$7,092

Cost of attendance

16,853

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chief petty officers

The hardest universities for chief petty officers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for chief petty officers 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 chief petty officers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chief petty officers

The easiest schools for chief petty officers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chief petty officer 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 chief petty officers.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

Average chief petty officer salary by education level

According to our data, chief petty officers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $63,427 annually. Chief petty officers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $48,406.
Chief petty officer education levelChief petty officer salary
High School Diploma or Less$45,512
Bachelor's Degree$63,427
Some College/ Associate Degree$48,406

Chief petty officer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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