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Career advisor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a career advisor. Career advisors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 62% of career advisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,301 real career advisor resumes to see exactly what career advisor education sections show.
The most common colleges for career advisors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online career advisor courses to help get the education required to be a career advisor.
There are certain career advisor certifications that you should consider. These career advisor certifications include Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What education do you need to become a career advisor?
What degree do you need to be a career advisor?
- Bachelor's, 62%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a career advisor?
- Business, 22%
- Psychology, 14%
- Communication, 7%
- Criminal Justice, 6%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for career advisors
| Career advisor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.79% |
| Arizona State University | 10.92% |
| Ohio State University | 5.63% |
| Strayer University | 5.63% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 5.28% |
Best majors for career advisors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.2% |
| 2 | Psychology | 14.2% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.1% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 6.2% |
| 5 | Sociology | 4.8% |
Best colleges for career advisors
The best colleges for career advisors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
A career advisor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for career advisors. 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 career advisors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
20 best online courses for career advisors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for career advisors
The most affordable schools for career advisors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for career advisors 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 career advisors.
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 - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
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 career advisors
The hardest universities for career advisors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for career advisors 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 career advisors 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
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. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for career advisors
The easiest schools for career advisors 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 a career advisor 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 career advisors.
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average career advisor salary by education level
| Career advisor education level | Career advisor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $43,329 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $38,408 |
| Doctorate Degree | $43,978 |
Career advisor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025