Transportation Security Inspector: Career Overview

In 2024, the U.S. Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) screened over 900 million passengers and around 2.5 billion bags. Most of these screenings were routine and uneventful, but not all. That same year, the TSA discovered nearly 7,000 firearms in carry-on bags — 94 percent of which were loaded.

While it takes a diverse team to carry out such a massive security initiative, it all starts with transportation security inspectors (TSIs). For professionals who are interested in this role and the advancement opportunities that come with it, here’s what to know about what transportation security inspectors do, how to become one and how to leverage experience and education to take on higher-level roles.

Transportation Security Inspector Job Description

Transportation security inspectors ensure all transportation agencies remain in compliance with TSA regulations. This includes airlines, airports, cargo companies and similar entities. Because of this responsibility, TSIs have a number of responsibilities in the field and the office.

Common duties for transportation security inspectors include:

Performing security audits and vulnerability assessments of transportation facilities, vehicles, equipment and staff
Observing transportation and security professionals as they carry out their duties
Investigating confirmed or suspected violations
Advising colleagues and enforcement officers about the next course of action following the discovery of a security violation
Verifying the credentials of transportation and security staff
Planning inspections based on homeland security needs and communicating insights with other intelligence professionals
Training transportation professionals about security measures and policies

To perform these duties effectively, TSIs must have a strong understanding of national security protocols and emerging threats as identified by America’s Intelligence Community. While inspectors often have regular work hours, they must also be available to carry out overnight inspections.

Where Do Transportation Security Inspectors Work?

While some transportation security inspectors work for private security firms, they typically work for the TSA. Many TSIs work at airports, but they can also serve mass transit systems, railways, shipping ports and anywhere else the TSA has a presence.

How to Become a Transportation Security Inspector and Pursue Career Advancement Opportunities

Minimum requirements vary based on location and organizational need, but transportation security inspectors are typically required to have either three years of work experience, including one year of specialized experience, a bachelor’s degree or a combination of experience and education. However, the application process for inspectors, managers and leaders at the TSA can be competitive.

Because of that, it can be important for future inspectors to go beyond meeting minimum requirements, especially if they plan on entering high-level security and intelligence positions later in their careers. For professionals who want to take that path, here’s what the process might look like.

Step 1: Get an Entry-level TSA Job

Future TSIs can gain valuable hands-on experience by taking on entry-level jobs within the TSA. A popular option is becoming a transportation security officer (TSO). TSOs typically work at airports screening passengers and their belongings.

Becoming a TSO requires:

Being a U.S. citizen or national
Being 18 or older
Holding a high school diploma or GED
Registering for selective service

Once a TSO candidate has applied and met the minimum requirements, they’ll be invited to complete a computer-based test. The test measures an applicant’s ability to interpret images, a skill needed to operate screening devices.

Candidates who successfully pass the test will then be invited to complete a panel interview. Following that, candidates must pass a medical evaluation, drug screen, and background check. According to the TSA, this process typically takes about 90 days.

Step 2: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Pursue Management Positions

Transportation security officers at the TSA are eligible for a number of promotion opportunities. Security management positions such as Lead TSO and Supervisory TSO require just a high school diploma or GED and experience in transportation security.

However, like other senior-level opportunities, the application process for management positions can be competitive. Earning a bachelor’s degree can give candidates an advantage. Depending on a TSO’s ultimate career goals, earning a degree in a social science, business, cybersecurity, or a STEM-related field can be helpful. The starting salary for a transportation security officer or manager can be higher for professionals with a degree.

Step 3: Earn a Master’s Degree

With TSA management experience and a bachelor’s degree, security professionals can make good candidates for transportation security inspector positions. Going beyond minimum requirements and earning a Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS) can help professionals become even more competitive for inspector positions and higher-level roles.

MAISS students take classes on the advanced security and intelligence skills TSA inspectors use including:

Intelligence data analysis
Sophisticated machine learning programs to perform analysis
Homeland security policymaking
Research
Counterterrorism planning
International relations theory as it relates to policy development
Data collection

With this academic background, experienced inspectors can become supervisory transportation security inspectors, professionals who oversee entire teams of inspectors, plan inspections and use their expertise to guide procedures.

From there, supervisors can take on any number of high-level executive positions within the TSA, such as Regional Security Director and Regional Director of International Operations. In these roles, professionals have a chance to not just utilize advanced intelligence and security measures, but become important policymakers in the American Intelligence Community.

Transportation Security Inspector Salary and Job Growth

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for transportation inspectors is $87,290 as of May 2023. However, individual officers may have different salaries based on location, experience, seniority and highest level of education.

Due to the high volume of passengers who utilize America’s airports, the TSA will likely need more transportation security inspectors in the near future. In 2023, the TSA reported that they employed about 1,300 inspectors. The following year, the agency hired almost 9,000 TSOs and Security Support Assistants, enrolled more airlines in the TSA PreCheck program, and added more screening and inspection technologies to locations across the country. Inspectors are vital to managing all of these resources.

Launch Your Career in Transportation Security

As threats to homeland security and the technologies used to intercept them develop, the TSA and other agencies will need more highly educated inspectors, analysts and administrators. No matter what role you want to take on, the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies program at Augusta University Online can help you prepare.

AU Online’s MAISS students can choose from three degree tracks: Technical Intelligence Analysis, Social Influence, and the General track, a customizable track for students with specific goals. On each track, students learn the leadership and technical skills they need to make an impact in the American Intelligence Community.

To find out more about this program and why Augusta University is an NSA-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, request more information today.