Ethics officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an ethics officer. Ethics officers usually study business, law, or management. 60% of ethics officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 91 real ethics officer resumes to see exactly what ethics officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for ethics officers are the Western Washington University and the Western Washington University.

There are also many online ethics officer courses to help get the education required to be an ethics officer.

What education do you need to become an ethics officer?

What degree do you need to be an ethics officer?

The most common degree for ethics officers is bachelor's degree, with 60% of ethics officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 60%

Master's, 13%

Doctorate, 13%

Associate, 6%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become an ethics officer?

You should major in business to become an ethics officer. 25% of ethics officers major in business. Other common majors for an ethics officer include law and management.

Business, 25%

Law, 23%

Management, 7%

Criminal Justice, 5%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for ethics officers

Ethics officers often get their degrees at Western Washington University, Texas A&M; University, and The John Marshall Law School. Here are the most common colleges for ethics officers in the US based on their resumes.

Ethics officer common college	Percentages
Western Washington University	9.09%
Texas A&M University	9.09%
The John Marshall Law School	4.55%
Eastern Michigan University	4.55%
New York University	4.55%

Show more common ethics officer colleges

Best majors for ethics officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.0%
2	Law	23.3%
3	Management	6.7%
4	Criminal Justice	5.0%
5	Political Science	5.0%

Show more common ethics officer majors

Best colleges for ethics officers

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

An ethics 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 ethics 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 ethics officers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for ethics officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for ethics officers

The most affordable schools for ethics officers are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for ethics 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 ethics officers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for ethics officers

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

Some great schools for ethics 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 ethics 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for ethics officers

The easiest schools for ethics officers to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an ethics 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 ethics officers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average ethics officer salary by education level

Ethics officers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $165,788 annually. With a Master's degree, ethics officers earn a median annual income of $156,787 compared to $139,974 for ethics officers with an Bachelor's degree.

Ethics officer education level	Ethics officer salary
Master's Degree	$156,787
High School Diploma or Less	$110,442
Bachelor's Degree	$139,974
Doctorate Degree	$165,788
Some College/ Associate Degree	$116,006

Ethics officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Ethics Officers?

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Search for ethics officer jobs

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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