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Juvenile officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a juvenile officer. Juvenile officers usually study criminal justice, psychology, or business. 61% of juvenile officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,390 real juvenile officer resumes to see exactly what juvenile officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for juvenile officers are the Sam Houston State University and the Sam Houston State University.

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

What education do you need to become a juvenile officer?

What degree do you need to be a juvenile officer?

The most common degree for juvenile officers is bachelor's degree, with 61% of juvenile officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 8%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a juvenile officer?

You should major in criminal justice to become a juvenile officer. 54% of juvenile officers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a juvenile officer include psychology and business.

Most common colleges for juvenile officers

Juvenile officers often get their degrees at Sam Houston State University, University of Phoenix, and University of North Texas. Here are the most common colleges for juvenile officers in the US based on their resumes.
Juvenile officer common collegePercentages
Sam Houston State University13.60%
University of Phoenix13.20%
University of North Texas8.80%
Prairie View A & M University7.60%
Texas State University6.40%

Best majors for juvenile officers

RankMajorPercentages
1Criminal Justice53.6%
2Psychology8.4%
3Business7.1%
4Sociology3.9%
5Social Work3.7%

Best colleges for juvenile officers

The best colleges for juvenile officers are Boston College, Boston University, and SUNY at Binghamton.

A juvenile 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 juvenile 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 juvenile officers.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$58,230

Enrollment

6,600

3. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Enrollment

24,163

20 best online courses for juvenile officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for juvenile officers

The most affordable schools for juvenile officers are Brigham Young University, california state university - bakersfield, and florida international university.

If the best universities for juvenile 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 juvenile officers.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for juvenile officers

The hardest universities for juvenile officers to get into are Boston College, Boston University, and SUNY at Binghamton.

Some great schools for juvenile 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 juvenile 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. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

4. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

5. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

6. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

7. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

8. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

59%

SAT average

1,367

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

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

The easiest schools for juvenile officers to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and saint martin's university.

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

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

4. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

7. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

8. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average juvenile officer salary by education level

According to our data, juvenile officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,253 annually. Juvenile officers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $38,556.
Juvenile officer education levelJuvenile officer salary
Master's Degree$42,253
Bachelor's Degree$38,556

Juvenile officer 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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