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security science and technology

Types of Degrees security science and technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing security science and technology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	496
Associate’s Degree	1,036
Bachelor’s Degree	3,518
Master’s Degree	4,068
Doctor’s Degree	34

What security science and technology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in security science and technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a security science and technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to security science and technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, security science and technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by security science and technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for security science and technology graduates include:

• Investigator
• Criminalist
• Identification Officer
• Police Investigator
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Law Enforcement Specialist
• Security Analyst
• CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
• Police Officer
• Detective
• Special Investigator
• Fraud Investigator
• Forensic Science Examiner
• Crime Scene Examiner
• Forensic Science Technician (Forensic Science Tech)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to security science and technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	31.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	20.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.6%
Some college courses	13.5%
Postsecondary certificate	8.4%
Master’s degree	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.2%
Doctoral degree	3.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in security science and technology?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 58.7% women and 41.3% men among security science and technology graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5,385	58.7%
Men	3,788	41.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of security science and technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,548	49.6%
Asian	441	4.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,990	21.7%
Black or African American	1,107	12.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	55	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	17	0.2%
Two or More Races	407	4.4%
Race Unknown	336	3.7%
International Students	272	3.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do security science and technology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of security science and technology 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	$51,422
4 years	$49,125
5 years	$55,237

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $55,237 — roughly 7% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online security science and technology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for security science and technology. 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	24	10
Bachelor’s	31	21
Master’s	52	15
Doctoral (Research)	3	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 science and technology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, security science and technology graduates earn a median of $49,125 four years after completion — roughly 29% 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
Protective Security Safety Services	43
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.01
Fire Protection	43.02
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other	43.99
HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING AND RELATED PROTECTIVE SERVICES	43.00
Homeland Security	43.03

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.