What are Popular Schools for Private Investigators?

Important Facts About Private Investigator Programs

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Insurance Fraud, Employment Services and Divorce

Background checks and surveillance make up the majority of work performed by this type of private investigator. Consider the following schools for training:

• Boston University: Covers research on the Internet and in public records, interviewing, surveillance and managing your PI business.
• Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina: Particular focus is on surveillance, investigations, and ethics.

Legal

These private investigators collect information for litigation and criminal cases. Often, they find people who are avoiding legal action (a function commonly referred to as skip-tracing).

• California State University - Monterey Bay: Legal investigation certificate program specifically covers the law of agency, rules of court and evidence, ethics, forensic photography and more.
• University of Washington - Seattle: Covers civil and criminal investigation techniques, investigation law and evidence preparation.

Corporate Investigation and Financial Fraud

Private investigators in this high-paying field typically start with a degree in forensic accounting and fraud investigation. Accountants may add the following certificates:

• West Virginia University: Program covers fraud schemes, cyber-crime, criminology, terrorism financing, RICO and other advanced financial crime investigation.

Computer Forensics

A 4-year computer science degree serves as an entry into this growing field. Many popular schools offer degree and certificate programs.

• Louisiana State University - Alexandria: Prepares candidates for the Certified Computer Examiner (CCE) examination.
• Community College of Philadelphia: The program leading to an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Digital (or Computer) Forensics calls for two years of general education, plus courses in digital media evidence retrieval, rules of evidence for computer networks, court report preparation and hacking/intrusion investigation.