How To Become A Physical Security Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a physical security engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Professor David Sanford

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a physical security engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $40.76 an hour? That's $84,784 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 32% and produce 35,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a physical security engineer?

Professor David Sanford

Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB), Northwood University

Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like

Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.

In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.

ScorePhysical Security EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.6

Avg. Salary $84,784

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate 32%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 9.64%

Black or African American 9.15%

Hispanic or Latino 8.99%

Unknown 6.09%

White 65.70%

Gender

female 9.38%

male 90.63%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a physical security engineer

Explore physical security engineer education requirements

Most common physical security engineer degrees

Bachelor's

65.9 %

Master's

19.5 %

Associate

9.8 %

Start to develop specific physical security engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
CCTV	36.08%
Security Design	24.65%
Video Surveillance Systems	23.00%
Scheme	5.13%
Control Systems	4.83%

Complete relevant physical security engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New physical security engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a physical security engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physical security engineer resumes.

Research physical security engineer duties and responsibilities

Coordinate and manage the installations of security systems with the USAO, GSA, and security installer.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Implement PKI procedures for entire division.
Create ETL processes for importing access data into SQL databases via SSIS and SQL store procedures.

Apply for physical security engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a physical security engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams