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Security & Loss Prevention Services

Types of Degrees Security & Loss Prevention Services Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Security & Loss Prevention Services may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	259
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	21
Master’s Degree	88

What Security & Loss Prevention Services Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Security & Loss Prevention Services build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Security & Loss Prevention Services emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Security & Loss Prevention Services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Security & Loss Prevention Services careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Far Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Security & Loss Prevention Services professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAP business and customer relations management software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Enterprise resource planning ERP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Employee scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Time and attendance software	Time accounting software	—
Oracle software	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates include:

• Surveillance Officer
• Armed Security Officer
• Security Officer
• Patrol Officer
• Patrolman
• Security Floor Supervisor
• Shift Supervisor
• Security Manager
• Campus Safety Chief
• Officer Sergeant
• Guard Chief
• Protection Supervisor
• Security Chief
• Site Supervisor
• Security Lieutenant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	53.7%
Some college courses	15.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.7%
Bachelor’s degree	7.7%
Postsecondary certificate	6.2%
Master’s degree	1.8%
Doctoral degree	0.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%
First professional degree	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Security & Loss Prevention Services?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55.1% women and 44.9% men among Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	272	55.1%
Men	222	44.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	107	21.7%
Asian	13	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	138	27.9%
Black or African American	47	9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.4%
Two or More Races	4	0.8%
Race Unknown	179	36.2%
International Students	4	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Security & Loss Prevention Services Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,812
4 years	$44,073
5 years	$49,815

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,815 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Security & Loss Prevention Services Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Security & Loss Prevention Services. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Security & Loss Prevention Services Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Security & Loss Prevention Services graduates earn a median of $44,073 four years after completion — roughly 16% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.01
Corrections Administration	43.0113
Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other	43.0199
Corrections	43.0102
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.0100
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	43.0103
Criminal Justice/Police Science	43.0107
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies	43.0104
Criminalistics and Criminal Science	43.0111
Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations	43.0119
Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection	43.0123
Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism	43.0116

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.