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Counterterrorism Operations

Types of Degrees Counterterrorism Operations Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Counterterrorism Operations may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	49
Bachelor’s Degree	2
Master’s Degree	129
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Counterterrorism Operations Majors Need to Know

Programs in Counterterrorism Operations emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Counterterrorism Operations graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Counterterrorism Operations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Counterterrorism Operations program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Counterterrorism Operations careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Counterterrorism Operations graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Counterterrorism Operations professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
IBM Lotus Notes	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Counterterrorism Operations graduates include:

• Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Packaging Professor
• Project Management Professor
• Metal Crafts Teacher
• Survey Research Teacher
• Foreign Student Adviser Teacher
• City Planning Teacher
• Humanities Teacher
• University Teacher
• Military Science Teacher
• Braille Teacher
• University Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Counterterrorism Operations graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	53.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	14.2%
Master’s degree	8.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.9%
Some college courses	7.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.4%
Doctoral degree	1.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Counterterrorism Operations?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63.5% of Counterterrorism Operations degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	66	36.5%
Men	115	63.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Counterterrorism Operations graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	100	55.2%
Asian	6	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	29	16.0%
Black or African American	19	10.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.6%
Two or More Races	8	4.4%
Race Unknown	7	3.9%
International Students	11	6.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Counterterrorism Operations Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Counterterrorism Operations graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$66,896
4 years	$65,332
5 years	$74,471

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,471 — roughly 11% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Counterterrorism Operations Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Counterterrorism Operations. 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	3	0
Master’s	5	0
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{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 Counterterrorism Operations Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Counterterrorism Operations graduates earn a median of $65,332 four years after completion — roughly 72% 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
Homeland Security	43.03
Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management	43.0302
Critical Infrastructure Protection	43.0303
Homeland Security, Other	43.0399
Homeland Security	43.0301
Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy	43.0404
Geospatial Intelligence	43.0407
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.0100
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	43.0103
Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations	43.0119
Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management	43.0115
Protective Services Operations	43.0120

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.