Online Security Schools & Colleges

Security Online Programs

Police officers and detectives are among the most common careers in the security field--they work for local, state and federal agencies, but their training is done through a police academy. Online security degrees that could be helpful to that career include the Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, the Bachelor's of Science degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Forensic Science or the Bachelor's of Science Degree in Criminal Justice with a focus on Law Enforcement. There are also many advanced criminal justice degrees available online at the master's and doctoral levels. Another subset of the security industry is that of the cyber-security sector. Online security degrees related to this field include a Bachelor's of Information Technology in Computer Forensics or Internet Security. You can also find advanced degrees available in this field, such as the Master's of Information Technology in Information Assurance and Security. Finally, those who are interested in Homeland Security can also find online security degrees related to the field, such as the Bachelor's of Science degree in Criminal Justice focused on Homeland Security and Emergency Management or the Master's of Science degree in Management in Homeland Security.

According to 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, police officers earned mean annual wages of $55,620 and their supervisors earned mean annual wages of $80,770. Overall, average growth in employment opportunities is expected to occur between 2008-2018 except for those working as police detectives and investigators, who earned mean annual wages of $73,010. Job growth in that field is predicted to be 17 percent. According to the BLS, information security analysts (included in a group of careers that also comprises web developers, computer network architects, and network systems and data communications analysts) earned a mean annual wage of $79,370. Finally, emergency management specialists earned median wages of $55,360, according to 2010 data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The 20 percent projected growth in the field should be much faster than average.