Profiler education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be an FBI profiler?

You need a bachelor's degree in criminology or a related field to be an FBI profiler. Although there is no required major, it is recommended to graduate in criminology, psychology, criminal justice, or any other related field.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a profiler. Profilers usually study computer science, business, or general studies. 43% of profilers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 172 real profiler resumes to see exactly what profiler education sections show.

The most common colleges for profilers are the Northeastern Illinois University and the Northeastern Illinois University.

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

What education do you need to become a profiler?

What degree do you need to be a profiler?

The most common degree for profilers is bachelor's degree, with 43% of profilers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 22% and high school diploma degree at 18%.

Bachelor's, 43%

High School Diploma, 22%

Associate, 18%

Diploma, 13%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a profiler?

You should major in computer science to become a profiler. 19% of profilers major in computer science. Other common majors for a profiler include business and general studies.

Computer Science, 19%

Business, 15%

General Studies, 6%

Psychology, 6%

Other Majors, 54%

Most common colleges for profilers

Profilers often get their degrees at Northeastern Illinois University, National University, and Western Washington University. Here are the most common colleges for profilers in the US based on their resumes.

Profiler common college	Percentages
Northeastern Illinois University	9.09%
National University	9.09%
Western Washington University	4.55%
Eastern Michigan University	4.55%
Marshall University	4.55%

Show more common profiler colleges

Best majors for profilers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Computer Science	19.1%
2	Business	14.9%
3	General Studies	6.4%
4	Psychology	6.4%
5	Elementary Education	6.4%

Show more common profiler majors

Best colleges for profilers

The best colleges for profilers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

A profiler with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for profilers. 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 profilers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

3. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

4. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for profilers

Advertising disclosure

1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)

Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...

2. Data Analytics (Part Time)

Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

3. Data Analyst

Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

4. Marketing Analytics

Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...

5. Full Stack Web Development with C# OOP, MS SQL & ASP.NET MVC

4.4

(918)

Web development with C#, ASP.NET MVC, MS SQL, C# OOP. All gathered for full stack web development in one course!...

6. Data Warehouse Developer-SQL Server/ETL/SSIS/SSAS/SSRS/T-SQL

4.3

(1,477)

Develop and Implement a Data Warehouse Solution Step by step...

7. Digital Marketing (Part Time)

Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

8. Intro to Data Analytics

Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...

9. Data Structures and Algorithms

Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...

10. Data Visualization

You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...

11. C#.NET Core 7 with MS SQL Complete Beginner to Master 2023

4.6

(1,026)

Learn API Development with C# .NET Core 7 and MS SQL Server from Mac, Linux or Windows!...

12. Building an Enterprise Application with ASP.NET Core MVC

4.1

(436)

Full-Stack MVC Web Application with ASP.NET Core 3.0, ASP.NET Core 2.2 & Entity Framework Core...

13. Digital Marketing

Gain real-world experience running live campaigns as you learn from top experts in the field. Launch your career with a 360-degree understanding of digital marketing...

14. Intro to Data Analysis

Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...

15. Learning Visual Basic.NET - A Guide To VB.NET Programming

4.7

(1,230)

Want to learn how to program with VB.NET? This beginners guide to programming in Visual Basic.NET will show you how...

16. ASP.NET MVC: Complete Practical Guide (.NET 7) C# Web Dev

4.7

(332)

The best ASP.NET MVC Course providing practical real world example of creating ASP.NET MVC Website with Entity Framework...

17. Data Visualization

Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...

18. Experimental Design & Recommendations

Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...

19. Comprehensive ASP.net MVC

4.3

(673)

From zero knowledge of ASP.NET to deploying a complete project to production...

20. Build ASP.NET Core Web API - Scratch To Finish (.NET 7 API)

4.5

(3,005)

Use C# and Build an ASP.NET Core Web API with Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, Authentication & Authorization .NET 7...

Top 10 most affordable universities for profilers

The most affordable schools for profilers are California State University - Long Beach, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for profilers 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 profilers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for profilers

The hardest universities for profilers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Some great schools for profilers 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 profilers 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for profilers

The easiest schools for profilers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, kean university, and university of the incarnate word.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

Average profiler salary by education level

According to our data, profilers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $78,212 annually. Profilers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $77,607.

Profiler education level	Profiler salary
Master's Degree	$77,607
Bachelor's Degree	$69,557
Doctorate Degree	$78,212

Profiler education FAQs

What degree do you need to be an FBI profiler?

What is the best college for Profilers?

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

Search for profiler 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 business and financial jobs