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Career development specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a career development specialist. Career development specialists usually study business, psychology, or sociology. 64% of career development specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,125 real career development specialist resumes to see exactly what career development specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for career development specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online career development specialist courses to help get the education required to be a career development specialist.
There are certain career development specialist certifications that you should consider. These career development specialist certifications include Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a career development specialist?
What degree do you need to be a career development specialist?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 11%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a career development specialist?
- Business, 21%
- Psychology, 13%
- Sociology, 7%
- Criminal Justice, 7%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for career development specialists
| Career development specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 18.52% |
| New Mexico State University | 9.63% |
| Eastern New Mexico University | 5.93% |
| Troy University | 4.44% |
| Webster University | 4.44% |
Best majors for career development specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 21.0% |
| 2 | Psychology | 12.9% |
| 3 | Sociology | 7.4% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 7.2% |
| 5 | Communication | 6.6% |
Best colleges for career development specialists
The best colleges for career development specialists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A career development specialist 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 development specialists. 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 development specialists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
20 best online courses for career development specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for career development specialists
The most affordable schools for career development specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for career development specialists 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 development specialists.
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for career development specialists
The hardest universities for career development specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for career development specialists 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 development specialists 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for career development specialists
The easiest schools for career development specialists to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a career development specialist 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 development specialists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average career development specialist salary by education level
| Career development specialist education level | Career development specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $53,964 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $42,342 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $49,870 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $45,267 |
Career development specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025