SOC 55-3018.00

    Special Forces

    Implement unconventional operations by air, land, or sea during combat or peacetime as members of elite teams.

    Median pay
    Not reported
    Growth
    Not reported
    Openings a year
    Not reported
    Typical education
    Not reported

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Not reported in the latest federal data

    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

    What special forces do

    Implement unconventional operations by air, land, or sea during combat or peacetime as members of elite teams. These activities include offensive raids, demolitions, reconnaissance, search and rescue, and counterterrorism. In addition to their combat training, special forces members often have specialized training in swimming, diving, parachuting, survival, emergency medicine, and foreign languages. Duties include conducting advanced reconnaissance operations and collecting intelligence information; recruiting, training, and equipping friendly forces; conducting raids and invasions on enemy territories; laying and detonating explosives for demolition targets; locating, identifying, defusing, and disposing of ordnance; and operating and maintaining sophisticated communications equipment.

    Also called

    Advance Seal Delivery System Maintainer · Amphibian Crewmember · Basic Combatant Swimmer · Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) · Joint Special Operations · Master Naval Parachutist · Naval Special Warfare Medic · Parachutist · Pararescue Craftsman · Pararescue Manager

    Career pathway

    From your interests to special forces

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. This career

      • Special ForcesPay not reported

    2. Majors

    3. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1George Mason University logo
      George Mason University

      Fairfax, VA · Homeland Security · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $91,928
      4 yrs after
      $143,972
      Median debt
      $20,250
    2. 2Champlain College logo
      Champlain College

      Burlington, VT · Security Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $68,425
      4 yrs after
      $101,401
      Median debt
      $28,520
    3. 3
      Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott

      Prescott, AZ · Security Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $58,252
      4 yrs after
      $98,996
      Median debt
      $20,500
    4. 4Florida State University-Main Campus logo
      Florida State University-Main Campus

      Tallahassee, FL · Security Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $60,178
      4 yrs after
      $93,841
      Median debt
      $15,125
    5. 5Robert Morris University logo
      Robert Morris University

      Moon Township, PA · Security Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $64,104
      4 yrs after
      $90,206
      Median debt
      $26,000
    6. 6Mercyhurst University logo
      Mercyhurst University

      Erie, PA · Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $52,770
      4 yrs after
      $86,597
      Median debt
      $25,000
    7. 7Norwich University logo
      Norwich University

      Northfield, VT · Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $77,627
      4 yrs after
      $85,184
      Median debt
      Not reported
    8. 8Grand Canyon University logo
      Grand Canyon University

      Phoenix, AZ · Homeland Security · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $65,237
      4 yrs after
      $84,553
      Median debt
      $22,916

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    Your plan

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    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.