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Foreign service officer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a foreign service officer. Foreign service officers usually study political science, international relations, or business. 62% of foreign service officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 643 real foreign service officer resumes to see exactly what foreign service officer education sections show.
The most common colleges for foreign service officers are the American University and the American University.
There are also many online foreign service officer courses to help get the education required to be a foreign service officer.
What education do you need to become a foreign service officer?
What degree do you need to be a foreign service officer?
- Bachelor's, 62%
- Master's, 27%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Associate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a foreign service officer?
- Political Science, 19%
- Business, 11%
- History, 8%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for foreign service officers
| Foreign service officer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| American University | 14.06% |
| Georgetown University | 8.59% |
| George Washington University, The | 8.59% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.03% |
| Texas A&M University | 6.25% |
Best majors for foreign service officers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science | 19.3% |
| 2 | International Relations | 11.3% |
| 3 | Business | 10.6% |
| 4 | History | 8.2% |
| 5 | Economics | 7.4% |
Best colleges for foreign service officers
The best colleges for foreign service officers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A foreign service 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 foreign service 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 foreign service officers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
5. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
7. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
20 best online courses for foreign service officers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for foreign service officers
The most affordable schools for foreign service officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for foreign service 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 foreign service 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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for foreign service officers
The hardest universities for foreign service officers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for foreign service 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 foreign service 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for foreign service officers
The easiest schools for foreign service officers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a foreign service 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 foreign service officers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
10. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
Average foreign service officer salary by education level
| Foreign service officer education level | Foreign service officer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $98,943 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $91,503 |
| Doctorate Degree | $98,929 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,602 |
Foreign service officer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025