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Protective service specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a protective service specialist. Protective service specialists usually study social work, psychology, or criminal justice. 70% of protective service specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,107 real protective service specialist resumes to see exactly what protective service specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for protective service specialists are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.
There are also many online protective service specialist courses to help get the education required to be a protective service specialist.
What education do you need to become a protective service specialist?
What degree do you need to be a protective service specialist?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 8%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a protective service specialist?
- Social Work, 24%
- Psychology, 20%
- Criminal Justice, 19%
- Sociology, 8%
- Other Majors, 29%
Most common colleges for protective service specialists
| Protective service specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Arizona State University | 11.91% |
| University of Phoenix | 10.21% |
| Texas A&M University San Antonio | 8.72% |
| Texas State University | 5.74% |
| Texas A&M University | 5.53% |
Best majors for protective service specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 23.8% |
| 2 | Psychology | 20.0% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 19.1% |
| 4 | Sociology | 7.8% |
| 5 | Business | 5.9% |
Best colleges for protective service specialists
The best colleges for protective service specialists are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Johns Hopkins University.
A protective service specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for protective service specialists. 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 protective service specialists.
1. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for protective service specialists
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1. Privacy Law and Data Protection
What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...
2. Cloud Computing Law: Data Protection and Cybersecurity
Vast amounts of personal information are processed in the cloud. But who is legally responsible for such ‘personal data’ in cloud environments? What duties do cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have? And what rights can you, as an individual, exercise under data protection law? If you’d like to find out, then this course is for you! First, we’ll look at how the European Union’s ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ (‘GDPR’) regulates the processing of personal data in cloud...
3. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
4. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
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5. Customer Service Fundamentals
There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...
6. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
7. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
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8. Customer Service Foundation
An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...
9. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
10. Start Improving Customer Service
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11. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
12. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now
The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...
13. Ultimate Privacy by Design Data Protection Course(GDPR,LGPD)
Learn Privacy by Design Data Protection Methodologies in order to prepare for GDPR,CCPA,LGPD Data Protection compliance...
14. ServiceNow IT Service Management (CIS - ITSM) Practice Tests
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15. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module
Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...
16. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
17. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level
3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...
18. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First
Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...
19. Copyright Protection for Entrepreneurs (Protect Your Work)
Protect Your Blog, Online Content, Photo, Videos and Avoid Copyright Infringement Copyright Law 101...
20. CCNP Service Provider SPCOR-350-501
Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies (SPCOR 350-501)...
Top 10 most affordable universities for protective service specialists
The most affordable schools for protective service specialists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for protective service specialists 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 protective service specialists.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for protective service specialists
The hardest universities for protective service specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for protective service specialists 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 protective service specialists 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. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for protective service specialists
The easiest schools for protective service specialists to get into are Nyack College, mount saint mary's university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a protective service specialist 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 protective service specialists.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
7. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
Average protective service specialist salary by education level
| Protective service specialist education level | Protective service specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,357 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $48,162 |
Protective service specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025