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security science and technology (other)

Types of Degrees security science and technology (other) Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing security science and technology (other) may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Doctor’s Degree	3

What security science and technology (other) Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in security science and technology (other) emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a security science and technology (other) program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to security science and technology (other) careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.9 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for security science and technology (other) graduates include:

• Shift Supervisor
• Safety Supervisor
• Security Guard Supervisor
• Security Chief
• Security Lieutenant
• Security Department Supervisor
• Guard Supervisor
• Security Shift Supervisor
• Security Supervisor
• Public Safety Manager
• Security Operations Supervisor
• Security Site Supervisor
• Security Officer Supervisor
• Security Floor Supervisor
• Security Manager

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	35.8%
Some college courses	22.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.7%
Bachelor’s degree	13.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.0%
Master’s degree	2.3%
Doctoral degree	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in security science and technology (other)?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 66.7% of security science and technology (other) degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1	33.3%
Men	2	66.7%

How Much Do security science and technology (other) Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of security science and technology (other) 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	$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 (other) Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for security science and technology (other). 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
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 security science and technology (other) Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, security science and technology (other) 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
Security Science and Technology	43.04
Criminalistics and Criminal Science	43.0402
Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism	43.0403
Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy	43.0404
Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation	43.0405
Forensic Science and Technology	43.0406
Geospatial Intelligence	43.0407
Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis	43.0408
Security Science and Technology, General	43.0401
Corrections	43.0102
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.0100
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	43.0103

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.