High School

In high school, take classes in physics, mathematics, physical sciences, psychology, statistics, and computer science. You’ll need strong writing and oral communication skills, so be sure to take speech and English courses.

Postsecondary Education

The study of biometrics involves many academic disciplines. As a result, biometric systems specialists have degrees in a wide range of majors, including software engineering, hardware engineering, computer science, physics, and mathematics.

West Virginia University offers a bachelor’s degree in biometrics systems engineering—the only school in the United States to offer an engineering-based program. Visit https://lcsee.statler.wvu.edu/home/biometric-systems-engineering-program-accreditation-and-assessment for more information. A few schools offer graduate degrees, concentrations, and certificates in biometrics. For example, Purdue Polytechnic Institute offers a graduate concentration in biometrics. Some of its specialization courses include Biometric Performance and Usability Analysis; Biometric Technology and Applications; Seminar in Biometrics; Fingerprint Performance and Usability; and Biometric Systems Interoperability: Applications and Challenges. Visit https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/degrees/ms-technology-leadership-and-innovation/biometrics for more information.

Certification

Some colleges offer certificates in biometrics. For example, Purdue University offers a graduate certificate in biometric computing. Classes in its program include Statistics, Pattern Recognition, Biometrics Computing, Intelligent Systems, Data Mining, Image Processing and Computer Vision, and Computer Graphics. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.

Other Education or Training

The International Biometrics + Identity Association offers continuing education opportunities at its annual conference, as well as webinars. Recent webinars included Security of Biometric Data: Spoofing and Data Theft, Implementing a Large Scale Biometrics System, and Practical Applications of Biometrics. The International Biometric Society, American Statistical Association, IEEE Computer Society, and other professional associations also offer classes, webinars, and workshops. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

There are no biometric-specific certifications for biometric systems specialists, but there are some general credentials that may prove useful in this career. The IEEE Computer Society offers the associate software developer credential (for graduating software engineering students and entry-level software professionals), professional software developer credential (for candidates who have at least two years of college education in computer science or equivalent in a related field and two years of relevant experience in industry) to individuals who meet education and experience requirements and pass an examination, and the professional software engineering master credential (for candidates with at least four years of college education and four years of relevant industry experience). Many other information technology (IT) certifications are available. Reviewing job advertisements for biometric specialists positions will give you a good idea of in-demand IT certifications.

Other Requirements

A background check is typically required, especially for companies working on biometric security technology.

Any experience one can obtain in biometrics—such as an internship, volunteering, or a part-time job—will be useful.

Biometrics systems specialists must have excellent organizational, time-management, problem-solving, and communications skills; creativity; ingenuity; a detail-oriented personality; strong knowledge of object-oriented design concepts, design patterns, and data structures; and expertise in programming languages such as C++, Python, and Perl.