Field officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a field officer. Field officers usually study criminal justice, business, or english. 55% of field officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,128 real field officer resumes to see exactly what field officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for field officers are the University of the West and the University of the West.

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

What education do you need to become a field officer?

What degree do you need to be a field officer?

The most common degree for field officers is bachelor's degree, with 55% of field officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 55%

Associate, 14%

Master's, 12%

Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become a field officer?

You should major in criminal justice to become a field officer. 20% of field officers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a field officer include business and english.

Criminal Justice, 20%

Business, 18%

English, 6%

Political Science, 6%

Other Majors, 50%

Most common colleges for field officers

Field officers often get their degrees at University of the West, University of Phoenix, and National University. Here are the most common colleges for field officers in the US based on their resumes.

Field officer common college	Percentages
University of the West	9.88%
University of Phoenix	8.64%
National University	7.41%
University of Southern Mississippi	7.41%
Indiana University South Bend	7.41%

Show more common field officer colleges

Best majors for field officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	19.6%
2	Business	17.8%
3	English	6.3%
4	Political Science	6.0%
5	Education	5.5%

Show more common field officer majors

Best colleges for field officers

The best colleges for field officers are Northwestern University, Boston University, and George Washington University, The.

A field 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 field 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 field officers.

1. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

2. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

5. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

8. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Enrollment

2,120

20 best online courses for field officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for field officers

The most affordable schools for field officers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for field 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 field officers.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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 field officers

The hardest universities for field officers to get into are Northwestern University, Boston University, and George Washington University, The.

Some great schools for field 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 field 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

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

The easiest schools for field officers to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, notre dame college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average field officer salary by education level

Field officers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $44,615 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, field officers earn a median annual income of $41,242 compared to $36,889 for field officers with an Associate degree.

Field officer education level	Field officer salary
Master's Degree	$44,615
High School Diploma or Less	$36,592
Bachelor's Degree	$41,242
Some College/ Associate Degree	$36,889

Field officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Field Officers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial 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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