Post job

City auditor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a city auditor. City auditors usually study accounting, business, or marketing. 66% of city auditors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 85 real city auditor resumes to see exactly what city auditor education sections show.

The most common colleges for city auditors are the Syracuse University and the Syracuse University.

There are also many online city auditor courses to help get the education required to be a city auditor.

What education do you need to become a city auditor?

What degree do you need to be a city auditor?

The most common degree for city auditors is bachelor's degree, with 66% of city auditors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a city auditor?

You should major in accounting to become a city auditor. 37% of city auditors major in accounting. Other common majors for a city auditor include business and marketing.

Most common colleges for city auditors

City auditors often get their degrees at Syracuse University, Sam Houston State University, and Oklahoma State University. Here are the most common colleges for city auditors in the US based on their resumes.
City auditor common collegePercentages
Syracuse University11.11%
Sam Houston State University7.41%
Oklahoma State University7.41%
Northern State University7.41%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale7.41%

Best majors for city auditors

RankMajorPercentages
1Accounting37.3%
2Business20.9%
3Marketing4.5%
4Education4.5%
5Management Information Systems4.5%

Best colleges for city auditors

The best colleges for city auditors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

A city auditor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for city auditors. 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 city auditors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

20 best online courses for city auditors

Advertising disclosure

1. Sustainable Cities

coursera

This Specialization is intended for individuals and organizations interested in developing skills and strategies to create and support sustainable cities. Through these four courses, you will gain a strong understanding of the tools and concepts needed to succeed in reaching this goal. Successful case studies of smart growth applications will be evaluated and assessed for multiple cities throughout the United States. The concentration will provide students with an introduction to sustainable...

2. Sustainable Cities and Communities

coursera

In this specialisation you will learn how to drive change in cities and communities towards sustainable, climate friendly, just, healthy and prosperous futures, and you will boost your career with new knowledge, understanding and skills for navigating urban transformations. This specialisation brings together a series of cutting-edge courses with world-leading teachers on cities, communities, sustainability, governance and innovation.\n\nThis specialisation is offered by the IIIEE at Lund...

3. Audit - Financial Statement

udemy
4.4
(2,545)

Master the Art of Auditing Financial Statements: In-Depth Analysis, Techniques, and Real-World Case Studies...

4. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 3 - Full Study Course

udemy
4.6
(266)

Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 3...

5. Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities

coursera

How can we shape our urban development towards sustainable and prosperous futures? This course explores sustainable cities as engines for greening the economy in Europe and around the world. We place cities in the context of sustainable urban transformation and climate change. We connect the key trends of urbanization, decarbonisation and sustainability. We examine how visions, experiments and innovations can transform urban areas. And we look at practices (what is happening in cities at...

6. Planning for Climate Change in African Cities

coursera

Climate change poses a threat to economic growth and long-term prosperity of many countries around the world. Africa is not an exception, considering the actual and potential impacts of climate change and climate variability that will threaten its vulnerable sectors and human populations. African countries are projected to experience changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, and higher temperatures that will affect food security, agricultural production, water availability, and public...

7. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 1 - Full Study Course

udemy
4.6
(1,440)

Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 1...

8. Financial Statement Auditing Cycles

udemy
4.3
(251)

In this course, we learn how public accountants plan and execute an audit...

9. Cities and Consumption: Urban Sustainability and the Sharing Economy

coursera

How can we govern consumption and the sharing economy in our cities? This course explores cities, consumption and the sharing economy in Europe and around the world. We connect together the key themes of the sharing economy, cities, governance, consumption and urban sustainability. We explore how the sharing economy can contribute to increasing social, environmental and economic sustainability. And we argue that it is imperative that the sharing economy is shaped and designed to advance urban...

10. Information Systems Auditing, Controls and Assurance

coursera

The course is awarded The Best Free Online Courses of All Time, and Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 Edition) by Class Central (http://www.classcentral.com). --- Information systems (IS) are important assets to business organizations and are ubiquitous in our daily lives. With the latest IS technologies emerging, such as Big Data, FinTech, Virtual Banks, there are more concerns from the public on how organizations maintain systems’ integrity, such as data privacy, information security, the...

11. Lead Auditor Tools for a Professional Internal Audit

udemy
4.5
(1,979)

Be a Pro Internal Auditor. This is the only course with 1-on-1 online meeting with the instructor & e-mail support...

12. Internal Audit: a Guide for Management

udemy
4.5
(1,333)

Internal Audit, Risk Management, Compliance, Governance, Internal Controls, CIA, Audit Report, Audit Charter, IIA...

13. Studying Cities: Social Science Methods for Urban Research

coursera

Welcome! Are you looking to learn more about how to conduct scientific research, specifically in an urban or local context? Then you have found the right course: Studying Cities: Social Science Methods for Urban Research by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University Rotterdam. During the course you will gain more insight in the different steps of the research cycle, and build a firm foundation for your own future research endeavors. Before any (urban)...

14. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 2 - Full Study Course

udemy
4.6
(370)

Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 2...

15. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM

udemy
4.1
(300)

Compliance risk management CRM for Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit and IS Security Professionals...

16. Practical Aspects of Information System Audit (For Beginner)

udemy
4.5
(409)

Practical Aspects of Information System Audit (For Beginners)...

17. ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor

udemy
4.4
(306)

ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Internal Auditor...

18. Internal Controls - Design, Implementation and Monitoring

udemy
4.4
(1,188)

Become a compliance specialist, maintain strong internal controls for SOX or FCPA, prepare for internal & external audit...

19. Internal Auditing Part I

udemy
4.3
(605)

Learn how to conduct an audit from start to end. This course can be used as a guide to audit almost any process...

20. Financial Statement Analysis

udemy
4.7
(255)

Learn how to make understanding financial statements your superpower!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for city auditors

The most affordable schools for city auditors are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for city auditors 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 city auditors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for city auditors

The hardest universities for city auditors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

Some great schools for city auditors 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 city auditors 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

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. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for city auditors

The easiest schools for city auditors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a city auditor 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 city auditors.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average city auditor salary by education level

City auditors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $66,854 annually. With a Master's degree, city auditors earn a median annual income of $63,026 compared to $54,093 for city auditors with an Bachelor's degree.
City auditor education levelCity auditor salary
Master's Degree$63,026
Bachelor's Degree$54,093
Doctorate Degree$66,854

City auditor education FAQs

Search for city auditor jobs

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.

Browse business and financial jobs