Code official education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a code official. Code officials usually study business, drafting and design, or criminal justice. 47% of code officials hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 95 real code official resumes to see exactly what code official education sections show.

The most common colleges for code officials are the Miami Dade College and the Miami Dade College.

There are also many online code official courses to help get the education required to be a code official.

What education do you need to become a code official?

What degree do you need to be a code official?

The most common degree for code officials is bachelor's degree, with 47% of code officials earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 28% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 47%

Associate, 28%

High School Diploma, 12%

Master's, 7%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a code official?

You should major in business to become a code official. 12% of code officials major in business. Other common majors for a code official include drafting and design and criminal justice.

Business, 12%

Drafting And Design, 12%

Criminal Justice, 12%

Information Technology, 10%

Other Majors, 54%

Most common colleges for code officials

Code officials often get their degrees at Miami Dade College, Pennsylvania State University, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for code officials in the US based on their resumes.

Code official common college	Percentages
Miami Dade College	12.00%
Pennsylvania State University	12.00%
Purdue University	8.00%
Western Washington University	4.00%
DeVry University - Phoenix Campus	4.00%

Show more common code official colleges

Best majors for code officials

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	12.2%
2	Drafting And Design	12.2%
3	Criminal Justice	12.2%
4	Information Technology	9.8%
5	Electrical Engineering Technology	7.3%

Show more common code official majors

Best colleges for code officials

The best colleges for code officials are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A code 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 code 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 code officials.

1. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

2. University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$8,580

Enrollment

10,482

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Enrollment

24,163

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for code officials

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Top 10 most affordable universities for code officials

The most affordable schools for code officials are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - los angeles.

If the best universities for code 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 code officials.

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. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,270

Cost of attendance

14,177

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for code officials

The hardest universities for code officials to get into are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for code 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 code 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

7. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

8. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for code officials

The easiest schools for code officials to get into are Notre Dame College, holy family university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a code 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 code officials.

1. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

2. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average code official salary by education level

Code officials with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $56,839 annually. With a Associate degree, code officials earn a median annual income of $54,878 compared to $53,629 for code officials with an High School Diploma degree.

Code official education level	Code official salary
High School Diploma or Less	$53,629
Bachelor's Degree	$56,839
Some College/ Associate Degree	$54,878

Code official education FAQs

What is the best college for Code Officials?

Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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