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Contracting officer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a contracting officer. Contracting officers usually study business, management, or political science. 58% of contracting officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,840 real contracting officer resumes to see exactly what contracting officer education sections show.
The most common colleges for contracting officers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online contracting officer courses to help get the education required to be a contracting officer.
There are certain contracting officer certifications that you should consider. These contracting officer certifications include Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) and Certification for Contracting Officer's Representatives Level I (FAC-COR).
What education do you need to become a contracting officer?
What degree do you need to be a contracting officer?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 16%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a contracting officer?
- Business, 42%
- Management, 9%
- Criminal Justice, 4%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for contracting officers
| Contracting officer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.22% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 10.72% |
| Webster University | 10.22% |
| American University | 7.73% |
| Strayer University | 6.48% |
Best majors for contracting officers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 41.6% |
| 2 | Management | 8.7% |
| 3 | Political Science | 6.4% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 4.2% |
| 5 | Accounting | 4.1% |
Best colleges for contracting officers
The best colleges for contracting officers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.
A contracting 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 contracting 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 contracting officers.
1. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
4. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,105
Enrollment
13,729
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
9. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for contracting officers
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1. American Contract Law II
Course description: Contracts I & II provides a comprehensive overview of contract law in the United States. The course covers most of the key concepts found in a first year law school class. Each lecture is based on one or more common-law cases, integrating legal doctrines with policy discussions. The course also covers key sections from the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs the sale of goods. By the end of the course, the learner should be able to understand: Formation defenses:...
2. Learn Federal Government Contracting From An Expert
A comprehensive guide to Register, Search Opportunities, GSA, Certifications, Accounting, Marketing& Bidding to the feds...
3. Contracts Management in Construction Projects
Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...
4. Introduction to Contract Management
Understand what is involved in the contract management process and put this knowledge to work with confidence...
5. Contract Management: Managing Contractual Risks
How to identify and deal with contract risks...
6. Learning Business Contracts for Beginners
An Introductory Guide to Drafting Winning Contracts, Negotiating Well, and Getting What You Want...
7. A Practical Approach to FIDIC Contracts
The interactive course is based on the FIDIC Approved Module 1 Workshop and introduces the FIDIC Suite of Contracts...
8. Complete Contract Management Bootcamp: Zero to Hero
Learn essential post-contract management principles and practices, and gain access to over 30 free MS tools...
9. The complete course on the Indian Contract Act, 1872
Law of Contract in India as under Indian Contract Act, 1872...
10. Law of Contracts in 60 Minutes: A Fast Track Course
A 60 minute fast track summary of the Law of Contracts, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...
11. Wholesale Real Estate Contracts: Flip Houses Risk Free
Download A Full Package Of Strategically Developed Real Estate Contracts And Learn How To Leverage Them In Your Business...
12. Contracts, Delays and Claims with Primavera P6
Learn all about Contracts, Delays & Claims along with practical Delay Analysis using Primavera P6 software...
13. Learn Solidity: Programming Language for Smart Contracts
Best Solidity Tutorial Available Online to Build Blockchain Based Decentralized Application DApps on Ethereum Network...
14. Microservices Contract Testing with Pact
This Course explains Why/How to write contract tests for Testing Microservices using Pact Testing tool on Live Projects...
15. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects
Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...
16. Blockchain For Finance: Using Blockchain & Smart Contracts
Emerging Blockchain & Smart Contract Applications Are Impacting The Financial Industry Today! Get Smart on Blockchain...
17. The Fundamentals of end-to-end Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management - Level 1: Introducing all the Key Components of a Supply Chain...
18. Effective Legal Office Administration
Effective Legal Office Administration...
19. Microsoft Office 365 Administration
Microsoft Office 365 Administration...
20. English for Business and Law - Contract Law
An English language course for business and law...
Top 10 most affordable universities for contracting officers
The most affordable schools for contracting officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for contracting 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 contracting officers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
8. Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$6,768
Cost of attendance
15,506
9. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
10. Brigham Young University - Hawaii
Laie, HI • Private
In-state tuition
$5,560
Cost of attendance
18,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for contracting officers
The hardest universities for contracting officers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.
Some great schools for contracting 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 contracting 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for contracting officers
The easiest schools for contracting officers to get into are D'Youville College, holy names university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a contracting 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 contracting officers.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
Average contracting officer salary by education level
| Contracting officer education level | Contracting officer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $75,849 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $65,562 |
| Doctorate Degree | $77,856 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,028 |
Contracting officer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025