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Criminal analyst education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a criminal analyst. Criminal analysts usually study criminal justice, business, or political science. 63% of criminal analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 221 real criminal analyst resumes to see exactly what criminal analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for criminal analysts are the Kennesaw State University and the Kennesaw State University.

There are also many online criminal analyst courses to help get the education required to be a criminal analyst.

What education do you need to become a criminal analyst?

What degree do you need to be a criminal analyst?

The most common degree for criminal analysts is bachelor's degree, with 63% of criminal analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 63%
  • Associate, 14%
  • Master's, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a criminal analyst?

You should major in criminal justice to become a criminal analyst. 43% of criminal analysts major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a criminal analyst include business and political science.

Most common colleges for criminal analysts

Criminal analysts often get their degrees at Kennesaw State University, University of Georgia, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for criminal analysts in the US based on their resumes.
Criminal analyst common collegePercentages
Kennesaw State University11.11%
University of Georgia11.11%
University of Phoenix8.89%
George Mason University6.67%
University of Florida4.44%

Best majors for criminal analysts

RankMajorPercentages
1Criminal Justice43.0%
2Business11.6%
3Political Science5.8%
4Law4.1%
5International Relations4.1%

Best colleges for criminal analysts

The best colleges for criminal analysts are University of Tulsa, Syracuse University, and SUNY at Binghamton.

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

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$58,230

Enrollment

6,600

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Enrollment

1,834

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

20 best online courses for criminal analysts

Advertising disclosure

1. Introduction to International Criminal Law

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-- About the Course -- From the Nuremberg trial to the case against Saddam Hussein, from the prosecution of Al-Qaeda terrorists to the trial of Somali pirates – no area of law is as important to world peace and security as international criminal law. Taught by one of the world’s leading experts in the field, this course will educate students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy. We will explore the contours of international crimes such as genocide, war crimes,...

2. Hot Topics in Criminal Justice

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The American criminal justice system is in need of reform. We incarcerate too many people. We pay insufficient attention to scientific advances that can help separate out the most and least culpable and dangerous. We grant the police far too much power to use force and technological surveillance. As a way of thinking about dealing with these problems, this course examines two over-arching issues: What should we do with people who have committed crime, and how should we identify who they are? On...

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Understand the Forensic Psychology of the Criminal Mind...

5. International Law In Action: Investigating and Prosecuting International Crimes

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‘Investigating and Prosecuting International Crimes’ is the second course in Leiden University’s new series on International Law in Action. The first course covered international courts and tribunals in The Hague in general. This second course provides an insider perspective into the work of international criminal courts and tribunals. You will learn about the investigation and prosecution of international crimes in The Hague. Atrocities produce unspeakable forms of violence. We will explore...

6. Drug Development

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The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Development course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug development. In this course you will learn the different stages of clinical development as well as the regulatory including but not limited to, an Investigational New...

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A 2 hour fast track summary of Criminal Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

8. Psychology of Criminal Behaviour & Criminology - ACCREDITED

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Personality Disorders, Violence, Sex Offence, Murder, and other types of crime...

9. Drug Discovery

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The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Discovery course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug discovery. In this course you will learn the drug discovery process up to the filing of an Initial New Drug Application or IND. Each week you will learn the steps that...

10. Drug Development Product Management

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Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are spending years and millions of dollars developing drugs or promising new biologics, all with the hopes of saving or enhancing patients’ lives. This specialization will provide you with a 30,000 feet view of the entire process of drug discovery and development. In the first course you will begin with learning how scientists go from selecting a drug discovery target to filing an Initial New Drug application. In the second course you will learn the...

11. Forensic Psychology: Criminal Profiling Certificate

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Criminology Crash Course...

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Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...

13. Tableau Business Intelligence Analyst

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Whether you are just starting out or looking for a career change, the Tableau Business Intelligence Analytics Professional Certificate will prepare you for entry-level roles that require fundamental Tableau skills, such as business intelligence analyst roles. If you are detail-oriented and have an interest in looking for trends in data, this program is for you. Through hands-on, real-world scenarios, you learn how to use the Tableau platform to evaluate data to generate and present actionable...

14. Drug Commercialization

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The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Commercialization course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug commercialization. This course will cover pharmacoeconomic, marketing strategy, intellectual property strategy, portfolio management, managed markets and...

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Types of Cyber Crime...

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18. Introduction to Criminology: Explaining Crime

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Learn to Speak About Criminal Psychology and the Sociology of Crime Like an Expert...

19. OSINT: Open-Source Intelligence Level 2

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20. CYBER CRIME & CYBER LAW - DR. PAVAN DUGGAL - CYBERLAW UNIV.

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The most crucial paradigms in our digital lives today...

Top 10 most affordable universities for criminal analysts

The most affordable schools for criminal analysts are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for criminal analysts 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 criminal analysts.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

5. 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

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Southern University at New Orleans

New Orleans, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,033

Cost of attendance

12,702

9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for criminal analysts

The hardest universities for criminal analysts to get into are University of Tulsa, Syracuse University, and SUNY at Binghamton.

Some great schools for criminal analysts 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 criminal analysts 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. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

2. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

4. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

5. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

6. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

59%

SAT average

1,367

7. American University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,320

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

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 criminal analysts

The easiest schools for criminal analysts to get into are Nyack College, university of north texas at dallas, and la roche college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a criminal analyst 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 criminal analysts.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

4. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Albertus Magnus College

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

931

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average criminal analyst salary by education level

Criminal analysts with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $91,304 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, criminal analysts earn a median annual income of $87,933 compared to $76,445 for criminal analysts with an Associate degree.
Criminal analyst education levelCriminal analyst salary
Master's Degree$91,304
High School Diploma or Less$72,001
Bachelor's Degree$87,933
Some College/ Associate Degree$76,445

Criminal analyst 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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