Training officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a training officer. Training officers usually study business, criminal justice, or political science. 60% of training officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 6,299 real training officer resumes to see exactly what training officer education sections show.

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

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

There are certain training officer certifications that you should consider. These training officer certifications include Certified Law Enforcement Analysts (CLEA) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

What education do you need to become a training officer?

What degree do you need to be a training officer?

The most common degree for training officers is bachelor's degree, with 60% of training officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 60%

Associate, 16%

Master's, 12%

High School Diploma, 6%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a training officer?

You should major in business to become a training officer. 21% of training officers major in business. Other common majors for a training officer include criminal justice and political science.

Business, 21%

Criminal Justice, 19%

Political Science, 6%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 49%

Most common colleges for training officers

Training officers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, United States Naval Academy, and Columbia Southern University. Here are the most common colleges for training officers in the US based on their resumes.

Training officer common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	14.82%
United States Naval Academy	9.88%
Columbia Southern University	7.11%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	6.92%
Excelsior College	6.32%

Show more common training officer colleges

Best majors for training officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	20.9%
2	Criminal Justice	18.5%
3	Political Science	6.0%
4	Psychology	5.5%
5	Management	5.1%

Show more common training officer majors

Best colleges for training officers

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

A training 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 training 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 training officers.

1. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for training officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for training officers

The most affordable schools for training officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of houston - victoria.

If the best universities for training 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 training 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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

9. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for training officers

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

Some great schools for training 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 training 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

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

SAT average

1,492

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

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

The easiest schools for training officers to get into are Barry University, ottawa university, and cardinal stritch university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

3. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average training officer salary by education level

According to our data, training officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $56,574 annually. Training officers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $52,056.

Training officer education level	Training officer salary
Master's Degree	$56,574
High School Diploma or Less	$43,802
Bachelor's Degree	$52,056
Some College/ Associate Degree	$47,000

Training officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Training Officers?

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

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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

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