Security Scholarships
Earn Top Dollar in Private Security and Loss Prevention
How do private security professionals fund college funding? There are increasing numbers of scholarship programs that are providing generous funding for those students engaged in programs that lead to careers in private security. Part of what a professional in private security does is prevent loss of private property. Security professionals work in business, industry and for private individuals.
Students interested in the field have a couple of education options leading to a career in security and loss prevention. You can pursue a major at a college that offers degrees in criminal justice or you may seek out a specialized degree in security management; these programs are not nearly as plentiful. In many cases a CJ program offers coursework that covers a wide range of topics related to private security and will lead you to the same.
College Scholarships
The University of Alabama-Birmingham administers the Security Engineers, Inc. Scholarship. Designed to encourage the education of students interested in private security, the program is funded by Security Engineers, Inc., a Birmingham-based security company.
Students pursuing degrees that will lead to careers in private or industrial security may be qualified to receive scholarships from Michigan State University. The Private and Industrial Security Endowed Scholarships are open to undergraduate and graduate students in the Criminal Justice program. Eligible applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and be able to prove through coursework and extracurricular activity their commitment to a career in private security.
The University of Houston-Downtown offers the Master of Security Management as part of the Criminal Justice program. The program is designed to prepare highly trained individuals in security management including all areas of private and business security as well as investigations and loss prevention. Students may qualify for the ASIS Scholarship that is designed for students enrolled in the Security Management program. $1,000 is available each academic year. Hispanic students in the Criminal Justice department may apply for the Success Scholarship. Recipients are awarded $1,200 scholarships to be used for tuition.
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Long Island University-Brentwood permits students to specialize in security. Courses cover private security and loss prevention as well as industrial security issues and information security. The university offers the heavily non-traditional student population a couple of dozen general scholarships that offer funds for nearly everyone. Applicants may qualify on the basis of academic merit, financial need, minority status or a combination of these.
Professional Scholarships
The American Society for Industrial Security is the leading professional organization for private security professionals. ASIS sponsors annual chapter scholarships. Students with no prior professional work or professionals pursuing a degree in a security related field might apply. Eligible applicants must be members of each chapter and pursuing a degree that logically leads to a career in private security especially in an industrial setting:
- Columbus Ohio Chapter awards vary based on current funding.
- North Texas Chapter awards student members $1,000 to pursue programs related to private security.
- Puget Sound Chapter requirements include a 3.0 GPA with a college transcript. Student members may be enrolled in any accredited program and funding varies.
Scholarships funded by ASIS are also available directly through many college criminal justice programs.
