Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations

Types of Degrees Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many terrorism & counterterrorism operations graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	49
Associate Degree	49
Graduate Certificate	44
Basic Certificate	40
Bachelor’s Degree	4

What Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to terrorism and counterterrorism operations and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Majors

A major in terrorism and counterterrorism operations prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Majors

As you progress with your terrorism and counterterrorism operations degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Major?

People with a terrorism and counterterrorism operations degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Professors	12.1%	$61,900
Emergency Management Directors	7.9%	$74,420
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	6.6%	$89,030
Loss Prevention Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Professors	9.4%	$65,660
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Security Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations?

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of terrorism and counterterrorism operations majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	2
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations

Some degrees associated with terrorism and counterterrorism operations may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for terrorism and counterterrorism operations careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	5.7%
Some College Courses	8.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	40.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.3%
Master’s Degree	12.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.7%
Doctoral Degree	2.9%

Online Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	1
Bachelor’s Degree	6	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	5	4
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to terrorism and counterterrorism operations.

Major	Number of Grads
Homeland Security	2,894
Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management	2,592
Critical Infrastructure Protection	588
Other Homeland Security	220

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.