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Field identification specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a field identification specialist. Field identification specialists usually study criminal justice, biology, or microbiology. 63% of field identification specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 59 real field identification specialist resumes to see exactly what field identification specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for field identification specialists are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

There are also many online field identification specialist courses to help get the education required to be a field identification specialist.

What education do you need to become a field identification specialist?

What degree do you need to be a field identification specialist?

The most common degree for field identification specialists is bachelor's degree, with 63% of field identification specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 63%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 13%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a field identification specialist?

You should major in criminal justice to become a field identification specialist. 13% of field identification specialists major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a field identification specialist include biology and microbiology.

Most common colleges for field identification specialists

Field identification specialists often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, University of Maine at Augusta, and University of Southern Maine. Here are the most common colleges for field identification specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Field identification specialist common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University9.52%
University of Maine at Augusta4.76%
University of Southern Maine4.76%
University of Houston4.76%
University of Northern Iowa4.76%

Best majors for field identification specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Criminal Justice12.5%
2Biology9.4%
3Microbiology9.4%
4Sociology6.3%
5Business6.3%

Best colleges for field identification specialists

The best colleges for field identification specialists are University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A field identification specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for field identification specialists. 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 field identification specialists.

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

8. North Carolina Central University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$6,464

Enrollment

5,913

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

20 best online courses for field identification specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for field identification specialists

The most affordable schools for field identification specialists are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for field identification specialists 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 field identification specialists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for field identification specialists

The hardest universities for field identification specialists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for field identification specialists 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 field identification specialists 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for field identification specialists

The easiest schools for field identification specialists to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a field identification specialist 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 field identification specialists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

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. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

Average field identification specialist salary by education level

According to our data, field identification specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $89,090 annually. Field identification specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $86,169.
Field identification specialist education levelField identification specialist salary
Master's Degree$89,090
High School Diploma or Less$70,630
Bachelor's Degree$86,169
Some College/ Associate Degree$75,228

Field identification specialist 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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