Adviser education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an adviser. Advisers usually study business, english, or education. 56% of advisers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,695 real adviser resumes to see exactly what adviser education sections show.

The most common colleges for advisers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online adviser courses to help get the education required to be an adviser.

There are certain adviser certifications that you should consider. These adviser certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Advanced First Aid & CPR.

What education do you need to become an adviser?

What degree do you need to be an adviser?

The most common degree for advisers is bachelor's degree, with 56% of advisers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 56%

Master's, 18%

Associate, 9%

High School Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become an adviser?

You should major in business to become an adviser. 18% of advisers major in business. Other common majors for an adviser include english and education.

Business, 18%

English, 10%

Education, 7%

Political Science, 7%

Other Majors, 58%

Most common colleges for advisers

Advisers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for advisers in the US based on their resumes.

Adviser common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	12.73%
New York University	6.67%
Pennsylvania State University	6.06%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.06%
Michigan State University	5.45%

Show more common adviser colleges

Best majors for advisers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	17.7%
2	English	9.5%
3	Education	7.0%
4	Political Science	6.7%
5	Psychology	6.6%

Show more common adviser majors

Best colleges for advisers

The best colleges for advisers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

An adviser with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for advisers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become advisers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

8. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

20 best online courses for advisers

Advertising disclosure

1. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

2. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

3. How to Read Financial Statements: Build Financial Literacy.

4.5

(811)

Read financial statements and speak the language of business without the drudgery of a traditional accounting course...

4. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

5. Financial Statement Analysis

4.7

(255)

Learn how to make understanding financial statements your superpower!...

6. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

4.5

(1,035)

Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

7. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)

4.5

(10,168)

For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...

8. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

4.4

(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

9. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

4.7

(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

10. Customer Service Foundation

4.5

(290)

An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

11. Audit - Financial Statement

4.4

(2,545)

Master the Art of Auditing Financial Statements: In-Depth Analysis, Techniques, and Real-World Case Studies...

12. Apply finance concepts for smart project management

4.2

(338)

Learn to read financial statements and make meaningful interpretations for business decisions in the age of big data...

13. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

4.6

(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

14. IT Support Technical Skills Helpdesk

4.7

(1,561)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Learners...

15. Start Improving Customer Service

4.8

(2,040)

Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

16. Financial Statement Analysis - Ratio Analysis

4.3

(1,189)

Master the Art of Financial Statement Analysis: Unlocking Insights through Vertical, Horizontal, and Ratio Analysis...

17. Accounting basics, create financial statements easily

4.5

(280)

Discover, develop, practice your financial information and explore the world of accounting...

18. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents Training Course

4.6

(1,065)

How to provide great customer support using Zendesk, a course for beginners...

19. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1

(413)

1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

20. x86 64-bit Assembly Language: Step-by-Step Tutorial

(312)

Learn x86-64 Assembly Language Programming From Scratch...

Top 10 most affordable universities for advisers

The most affordable schools for advisers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for advisers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for advisers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for advisers

The hardest universities for advisers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for advisers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for advisers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for advisers

The easiest schools for advisers to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an adviser without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for advisers.

1. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

10. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

Average adviser salary by education level

According to our data, advisers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $92,388 annually. Advisers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $89,512.

Adviser education level	Adviser salary
Master's Degree	$89,512
Bachelor's Degree	$69,269
Doctorate Degree	$92,388

Adviser education FAQs

What is the best college for Advisers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for adviser jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs