Post job

Recruit officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a recruit officer. Recruit officers usually study business, criminal justice, or human resources management. 70% of recruit officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,316 real recruit officer resumes to see exactly what recruit officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for recruit officers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

What education do you need to become a recruit officer?

What degree do you need to be a recruit officer?

The most common degree for recruit officers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of recruit officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a recruit officer?

You should major in business to become a recruit officer. 26% of recruit officers major in business. Other common majors for a recruit officer include criminal justice and human resources management.

Most common colleges for recruit officers

Recruit officers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Texas A&M; University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for recruit officers in the US based on their resumes.
Recruit officer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix13.28%
Texas A&M University8.59%
University of Maryland - College Park7.81%
American University7.03%
Pennsylvania State University5.47%

Best majors for recruit officers

Best colleges for recruit officers

The best colleges for recruit officers are Northwestern University, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A recruit 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 recruit 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 recruit officers.

1. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

8. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for recruit officers

Advertising disclosure

1. Recruiting for Diversity and Inclusion

coursera

Recruitment is an integral part of an organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy. Effective recruitment strategies ensure a workforce reflects a company’s customer base and the communities where it operates. Such strategies also capitalize on the benefits of employees’ diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. In this specialization, you will gain a unique combination of analytical, communication and leadership skills. These will serve as practical tools that enable you to...

2. Recruitment Interviewing Essentials: Interviewing Made Easy

udemy
4.5
(5,413)

Start hiring confidently, interview skilfully & make recruitment decisions professionally. Avoid costly hiring mistakes...

3. Recruiting Talent: How to find & attract the best candidates

udemy
4.5
(1,307)

Optimize your recruiting efforts, find top talent, & make sure candidates are a perfect fit for your open positions...

4. Recruitment, Interviewing, and Emotional Intelligence

udemy
4.2
(382)

Smart Hiring with Emotional Intelligence: Recruiting, Interviewing Build Strong Teams Maximise Company Success...

5. Tech Recruitment with ChatGPT: 75 Minute Crash Course

udemy
4.3
(315)

Hiring, IT Recruitment, Technical Recruitment, Chat GPT, GPT4, Software roles, Resume screening, Prompt Engineering...

6. Social Media Recruitment for Human Resource Professionals

udemy
4.3
(1,741)

Complete Recruitment Workshop for HR Professionals to find talent on Social Networks, Linked In & 20+ Talent Communities...

7. The Complete Recruiting Masterclass - HR Resources - Hiring

udemy
4.3
(317)

HR Managers - You Can Hire the Right People - Talent Management Skills for Human Resources Professionals...

8. Master Hiring & Interview Skills for Recruiting the Best Fit

udemy
4.7
(363)

2023 - All-in-One Human Resources Course on Effective Talent Acquisition, Recruitment, Questioning & Interviewing...

9. [2023] Recruiting: Talent Acquisition & Hiring (Version 3.2)

udemy
4.5
(9,991)

Be able to hire great people! Learn recruitment in a bestselling recruiting course used by IBM®, e Bay®, Lyft® & others...

10. Beginner Tech Recruitment Bootcamp

udemy
4.5
(925)

Learn the basics of Tech Recruitment...

11. Recruitment: IT Basics for IT Recruiters

udemy
4.2
(1,281)

IT fundamentals for Recruiters in IT industry...

12. Recruitment Tools for Difficult Times

udemy
4.4
(269)

The needed Virtual Interviewing Skills for Pandemic Context or VUCA world...

13. Boolean Search for Recruitment & Sourcing (Human Resource)

udemy
4.4
(2,370)

Boolean Search, Boolean Operators, Boolean String, Google Advanced Search, Xray Search for HR Professionals...

14. Recruiting & Talent Sourcing: Find Top Talent As A Recruiter

udemy
4.3
(620)

Learn How To Build Your Sourcing Skills and Improve Your Recruiting Outcomes and Boost Your Career...

15. Microsoft Office 365 Administration

udemy
4.5
(2,676)

Microsoft Office 365 Administration...

16. Recruiter Training - Hire Top Employees in Under 30 Days

udemy
4.4
(2,197)

Become a confident recruiter. Learn how to find, interview and hire top talent every time. Used by EY, IBM, e Bay & more...

17. [2021] Optimized Interview: For Hiring Managers & Recruiters

udemy
4.3
(1,669)

A practical step-by-step interviewing guide to help you hire the best candidates every time...

18. IT for recruiters and talent management professionals

udemy
4.4
(820)

Boost your IT recruitment with indepth IT knowledge and practical recruitment tips...

19. The Lean Recruiting Toolkit: Advanced Strategy Course!

udemy
4.3
(619)

An Agile Blueprint for Creating & Executing Top Hiring Strategies Using Lean, Agile & Kaizen Methodologies. Free Book!...

20. Introduction to Hiring and Recruiting Strategy

udemy
4.5
(845)

Design a Fair, Effective, and Clear Process to Source, Screen, and Select the Best People for Your Team...

Top 10 most affordable universities for recruit officers

The most affordable schools for recruit officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for recruit 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 recruit 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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,922

Cost of attendance

18,522

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for recruit officers

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

Some great schools for recruit 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 recruit 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

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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

The easiest schools for recruit officers to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, ottawa university, and university of the incarnate word.

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

1. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

2. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average recruit officer salary by education level

According to our data, recruit officers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $65,489 annually. Recruit officers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $60,677.
Recruit officer education levelRecruit officer salary
Master's Degree$60,677
High School Diploma or Less$44,907
Bachelor's Degree$54,384
Doctorate Degree$65,489
Some College/ Associate Degree$45,069

Recruit officer education FAQs

Search for recruit officer jobs

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.

Browse business and financial jobs