Stratford Career Institute is a privately owned correspondence school founded in 1991 that offers diploma programs in a wide variety of fields, including accounting, computer programming, forensic science, business management and creative writing. The four-module private investigator training course provides textbooks, study guides, learning aides and unlimited access to trained instructors by phone or email. The modules covers areas such as history of law enforcement, tracing a family tree, characteristics of a good investigator, crime scenes, DNA testing and undercover investigations. The course is designed as an overall introduction to private investigation techniques and principles, and doesn't grant the certification that many states require prior to licensing a private investigator.
The Global School of Investigation is a home study school founded in 1973 that offers video and audio tapes in addition to work assignments for students interested in careers in private investigation. Accredited by the American Society of Law Enforcement Training and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, the Global School of Investigation's diploma program provides 45 lessons, real-life private investigation case histories and solutions, 12 additional lessons on CD and a 30-minute surveillance video. Students can opt for the pay-by-part plan, which allows them to pay as they go and to stop and restart at their own pace.
Penn Foster Career Schools is the largest accredited school of independent study in the United States. The school's private investigator diploma provides students with the training necessary to work for security agencies, corporate legal departments, insurance companies or retail security. Graduating students are eligible to be mentored by professionals at Ion Incorporated, a private investigation referral company. The diploma program consists of eight instruction sets, mailed sequentially. Students must pass an exam at the end of each set before the next set is sent out. Subjects of instruction include communication skills and investigation, sources of information, observation and description, and fingerprinting and handwriting analysis.
Florida's City College, with locations in Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville, Miami and Orlando, offers an online-only private investigation services diploma that trains students in full-scale investigation techniques for entry-level positions in the field. The course of study incorporates classes such as surveillance, criminal and insurance investigation, fraud, interviews and statements, and principles of investigation.