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Student officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a student officer. Student officers usually study criminal justice, business, or psychology. 72% of student officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,258 real student officer resumes to see exactly what student officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for student officers are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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

What education do you need to become a student officer?

What degree do you need to be a student officer?

The most common degree for student officers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of student officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 10% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 72%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Master's, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a student officer?

You should major in criminal justice to become a student officer. 18% of student officers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a student officer include business and psychology.

Most common colleges for student officers

Student officers often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, Albright College, and University of Kentucky. Here are the most common colleges for student officers in the US based on their resumes.
Student officer common collegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara10.78%
Albright College8.98%
University of Kentucky7.78%
University of California - Davis7.78%
United States Naval Academy7.78%

Best majors for student officers

RankMajorPercentages
1Criminal Justice18.1%
2Business12.2%
3Psychology9.0%
4Political Science6.5%
5Communication6.1%

Best colleges for student officers

The best colleges for student officers are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A student 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 student 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 student officers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

5. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

6. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

7. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$31,998

Enrollment

1,488

20 best online courses for student officers

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6. Creating a Student Profile in Google Docs

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18. Using Google Forms for Student Success

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Top 10 most affordable universities for student officers

The most affordable schools for student officers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and florida international university.

If the best universities for student 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 student officers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student officers

The hardest universities for student officers to get into are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for student 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 student 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 University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

7. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

8. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,347

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,326

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

The easiest schools for student officers to get into are Notre Dame College, nyack college, and gwynedd mercy university.

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

1. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

7. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average student officer salary by education level

According to our data, student officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $72,508 annually. Student officers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $69,798.
Student officer education levelStudent officer salary
Master's Degree$72,508
High School Diploma or Less$48,049
Bachelor's Degree$64,389
Doctorate Degree$69,798
Some College/ Associate Degree$57,654

Student 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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