Best degree programs for Compliance Officers, ranked by enrollment
10 college programs and 1,233 schools train Compliance Officers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $80,730 median wage, 417,070 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
10 college programs at 1,233 schools train compliance officers, graduating 40,586 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General. The job pays a median of $80,730 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About compliance officers
Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis activities not classified elsewhere.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
10 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1001 | 18,033 | 44.4% | 518 | $49,084 | $26,536 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0104 | 10,966 | 27.0% | 635 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 3 | CIP 03.0103 | 9,602 | 23.7% | 470 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1002 | 1,363 | 3.4% | 26 | $49,084 | $26,536 |
| 5 | CIP 03.0208 | 222 | 0.5% | 21 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
| 6 | CIP 51.2213 | 104 | 0.3% | 9 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 7 | CIP 51.0720 | 95 | 0.2% | 7 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 8 | CIP 30.4101 | 90 | 0.2% | 11 | — | — |
| 9 | CIP 03.0209 | 82 | 0.2% | 11 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
| 10 | CIP 51.0717 | 29 | 0.1% | 5 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What compliance officers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $96,980 | 49,880 | 1.02× | 108 | 3,554 |
| Arizona | $74,920 | 12,430 | 1.43× | 22 | 2,872 |
| New York | $90,080 | 23,500 | 0.90× | 96 | 2,188 |
| Utah | $67,370 | 3,760 | 0.81× | 11 | 1,759 |
| New Hampshire | $82,800 | 1,730 | 0.95× | 13 | 1,649 |
| Pennsylvania | $85,580 | 19,810 | 1.22× | 85 | 1,619 |
| Florida | $74,920 | 29,680 | 1.11× | 37 | 1,615 |
| Minnesota | $85,920 | 6,140 | 0.78× | 38 | 1,561 |
| Ohio | $75,030 | 11,240 | 0.76× | 61 | 1,538 |
| Texas | $75,370 | 42,900 | 1.14× | 53 | 1,510 |
| Illinois | $80,550 | 10,650 | 0.65× | 50 | 1,479 |
| Michigan | $77,390 | 9,720 | 0.82× | 37 | 1,190 |
| Massachusetts | $102,060 | 13,190 | 1.35× | 47 | 1,183 |
| Wisconsin | $78,800 | 5,710 | 0.72× | 39 | 1,076 |
| North Carolina | $78,500 | 11,320 | 0.85× | 30 | 1,000 |
| West Virginia | $64,270 | 1,720 | 0.91× | 8 | 969 |
| Maryland | $84,720 | 10,100 | 1.36× | 23 | 961 |
| Colorado | $82,450 | 7,740 | 1.00× | 16 | 949 |
| Washington | $88,790 | 11,130 | 1.17× | 27 | 876 |
| Indiana | $78,770 | 5,120 | 0.60× | 29 | 869 |
| Georgia | $70,200 | 14,390 | 1.10× | 42 | 863 |
| New Jersey | $100,000 | 13,310 | 1.16× | 26 | 860 |
| Oregon | $82,990 | 5,360 | 1.02× | 14 | 711 |
| Alabama | $72,990 | 3,770 | 0.67× | 17 | 667 |
| Virginia | $80,380 | 15,190 | 1.38× | 26 | 581 |
| Connecticut | $91,810 | 3,610 | 0.79× | 15 | 551 |
| Iowa | $75,620 | 3,660 | 0.88× | 20 | 509 |
| Vermont | $90,420 | 1,960 | 2.40× | 10 | 495 |
| Missouri | $67,270 | 7,000 | 0.89× | 21 | 444 |
| District of Columbia | $111,030 | 4,380 | 2.33× | 7 | 402 |
| South Carolina | $75,460 | 4,760 | 0.77× | 15 | 367 |
| Maine | $83,740 | 1,790 | 1.04× | 13 | 316 |
| Tennessee | $63,960 | 7,990 | 0.91× | 16 | 310 |
| Idaho | $75,450 | 1,660 | 0.72× | 5 | 279 |
| Montana | $66,660 | 1,480 | 1.08× | 8 | 231 |
| Kentucky | $69,240 | 4,360 | 0.81× | 14 | 215 |
| Delawaremoderate | $91,050 | 2,150 | 1.65× | 3 | 212 |
| Kansas | $69,740 | 3,560 | 0.92× | 11 | 209 |
| Oklahoma | $63,000 | 4,230 | 0.92× | 14 | 197 |
| Rhode Island | $87,620 | 970 | 0.72× | 8 | 193 |
| Nebraska | $73,920 | 3,470 | 1.26× | 8 | 186 |
| Louisiana | $70,290 | 3,970 | 0.77× | 8 | 157 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $82,590 | 1,270 | 0.75× | 4 | 118 |
| Arkansas | $64,680 | 3,120 | 0.89× | 12 | 115 |
| Wyoming | $79,890 | 580 | 0.77× | 5 | 93 |
| Nevada | $78,290 | 4,400 | 1.06× | 5 | 89 |
| Mississippi | $67,450 | 1,720 | 0.55× | 5 | 70 |
| South Dakota | $72,630 | 1,130 | 0.92× | 7 | 59 |
| North Dakota | $79,440 | 990 | 0.86× | 8 | 47 |
| New Mexico | $67,990 | 2,400 | 1.03× | 8 | 30 |
| Alaskamoderate | $76,430 | 920 | 1.05× | 4 | 28 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Warn violators of infractions or penalties.
- Evaluate applications, records, or documents to gather information about eligibility or liability issues.
- Advise licensees or other individuals or groups concerning licensing, permit, or passport regulations.
- Prepare reports of activities, evaluations, recommendations, or decisions.
- Report law or regulation violations to appropriate boards or agencies.
- Confer with or interview officials, technical or professional specialists, or applicants to obtain information or to clarify facts relevant to licensing decisions.
- Determine the nature of code violations and actions to be taken, and issue written notices of violation, participating in enforcement hearings, as necessary.
- Prepare, organize, and maintain inspection records.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Writing3.8
- Active Learning3.4
- Monitoring3.4
- Learning Strategies3.0
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.3
- Law and Government4.1
- Customer and Personal Service3.8
- Administrative3.4
- Computers and Electronics3.3
- Administration and Management3.3
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.1
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Written Expression4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
Core activities
- Getting Information4.5
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.3
- Working with Computers4.3
- Documenting/Recording Information4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Compliance Officer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Compliance Officers10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0103Environmental Studies
- 03.0104Environmental Science
- 03.0208Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
- 03.0209Energy and Environmental Policy
- 30.4101Environmental Geosciences
- 43.0121Suspension and Debarment Investigation(no graduates reported)
- 51.0717Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician
- 51.0720Regulatory Science/Affairs
- 51.2213Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality
- 52.1001Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
- 52.1002Labor and Industrial Relations
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Compliance Officer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General, which awarded 18,033 degrees in 2024-25, 44.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Compliance Officer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Human Resources Management and Services, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Health and Medical Administrative Services, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 40,586 people a year.
How much do compliance officers earn?+
The median is $80,730 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $48,220 at the 10th percentile to $133,720 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for compliance officers growing?+
BLS projects a +3.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 33,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,233 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 10 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do compliance officers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Coroner, Customs Broker, License Examiner, Medical Examiner, Housing Inspector, Enforcement Officer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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