Identification officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an identification officer. Identification officers usually study criminal justice, school counseling, or education. 45% of identification officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 65 real identification officer resumes to see exactly what identification officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for identification officers are the Carlow University and the Carlow University.

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

What education do you need to become an identification officer?

What degree do you need to be an identification officer?

The most common degree for identification officers is bachelor's degree, with 45% of identification officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 23% and high school diploma degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 45%

High School Diploma, 23%

Associate, 13%

Master's, 10%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become an identification officer?

You should major in criminal justice to become an identification officer. 37% of identification officers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for an identification officer include school counseling and education.

Criminal Justice, 37%

School Counseling, 8%

Education, 8%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for identification officers

Identification officers often get their degrees at Carlow University, University of the Sciences, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. Here are the most common colleges for identification officers in the US based on their resumes.

Identification officer common college	Percentages
Carlow University	13.64%
University of the Sciences	4.55%
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York	4.55%
Keiser University	4.55%
Albertus Magnus College	4.55%

Show more common identification officer colleges

Best majors for identification officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	36.8%
2	School Counseling	7.9%
3	Education	7.9%
4	Psychology	5.3%
5	General Education, Specific Areas	5.3%

Show more common identification officer majors

Best colleges for identification officers

The best colleges for identification officers are Northwestern University, Boston University, and University of Virginia.

An identification 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 identification 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 identification officers.

1. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

4. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, NJ • Private

In-state tuition

$14,974

Enrollment

35,656

7. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

8. University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$8,178

Enrollment

7,681

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for identification officers

Advertising disclosure

1. Risk Management: Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment

4.3

(741)

Risk Management: Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA), Hazard Control & Mitigation, Risk Evaluation Techniques...

2. Effective Legal Office Administration

4.5

(1,067)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

3. MS Office Complete Training - Beginner to Expert Level

(311)

Complete Practical training in MS Office 2010 to 2019 and Office 365 in MS Excel, MS Word, MS Power Point and MS Access...

4. MS Office Course Bundle- Word , Powerpoint , Excel & Outlook

4.3

(319)

MS Office Learn and Polish the Most Desirable Office Courses at work , MS Word , MS Excel , MS Powerpoint and MS Outlook...

5. Microsoft Office 365 Administration

4.5

(2,676)

Microsoft Office 365 Administration...

6. MS Office; Excel, Word, Access & PowerPoint 2019 - Beginners

4.5

(1,407)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 4-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019 users...

7. Microsoft Office; Excel, Word & PowerPoint 2019 - Beginners

4.6

(958)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 3-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019 users...

8. Ultimate Microsoft Office; Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Access

4.5

(11,600)

Learn basic to advanced Microsoft Office skills in this 9-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019...

9. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2013 Training Bundle 71 Hours

4.6

(818)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2013 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

10. Practical Office 365 Administration

4.2

(291)

Learn in depth about Office 365 for Administrators and also find useful tips and resources to enhance your role as an Of...

11. Microsoft Office Essential Skills

4.6

(2,029)

Learn the essential Microsoft Office skills employers want from a Microsoft Certified Trainer!...

12. MS Office 2013: 10-in-1 Courses To Maximize Productivity

4.6

(612)

Comprehensive, all-in-one training to get the most out of Microsoft Office 2013. 10-in-1 courses with 80 hours of video...

13. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/365 Training Bundle

4.5

(640)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 6-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2021 users...

14. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2016 Training Bundle

4.5

(4,167)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2016 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

15. Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Power Point For Beginners

4.1

(382)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

16. Microsoft Office Complete Course All in one MS Office

4.3

(702)

Basic to Advanced Level Microsoft office Training Course A Complete Guide to MS Word, Power Point & Excel...

17. MS Office - Advanced - Efficiency Training

4.4

(2,504)

Learn the most important shortcuts and time saving tools in Outlook, Excel, Word and Power Point. WIN at Office!...

18. The ultimate real-life Office 365 productivity course

4.4

(5,368)

Transition to a digital workplace and boost Office 365 productivity through real life storytelling and best practices...

19. Microsoft Office 365 Ultimate Bootcamp 2023

4.2

(320)

WORD, EXCEL, ACCESS, POWERPOINT, PUBLISHER & TEAMS...

20. Mastering Microsoft 365 (2022) (was Mastering Office 365)

4.6

(4,895)

How To Take Full Advantage of Office 365: Your Modern, Collaborative Business Tools...

Top 10 most affordable universities for identification officers

The most affordable schools for identification officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for identification 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 identification 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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for identification officers

The hardest universities for identification officers to get into are Northwestern University, Boston University, and University of Virginia.

Some great schools for identification 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 identification 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. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

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

The easiest schools for identification officers to get into are Wayland Baptist University, felician university, and barry university.

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

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

9. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

10. American International College

Springfield, MA • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

1,010

Average identification officer salary by education level

Identification officers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $77,756 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, identification officers earn a median annual income of $72,655 compared to $55,106 for identification officers with an Associate degree.

Identification officer education level	Identification officer salary
Master's Degree	$77,756
High School Diploma or Less	$48,465
Bachelor's Degree	$72,655
Some College/ Associate Degree	$55,106

Identification officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Identification Officers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common protective service questions.

Search for identification 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

Browse protective service jobs