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Career services advisor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a career services advisor. Career services advisors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 62% of career services advisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,785 real career services advisor resumes to see exactly what career services advisor education sections show.
The most common colleges for career services advisors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online career services advisor courses to help get the education required to be a career services advisor.
There are certain career services advisor certifications that you should consider. These career services advisor certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF).
What education do you need to become a career services advisor?
What degree do you need to be a career services advisor?
- Bachelor's, 62%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 12%
- Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a career services advisor?
- Business, 30%
- Psychology, 11%
- Communication, 8%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for career services advisors
| Career services advisor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 19.69% |
| University of South Florida | 10.46% |
| American InterContinental University | 8.62% |
| DeVry University | 5.85% |
| Strayer University | 5.54% |
Best majors for career services advisors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 29.8% |
| 2 | Psychology | 11.3% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.6% |
| 4 | Human Resources Management | 6.4% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 5.4% |
Best colleges for career services advisors
The best colleges for career services advisors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
A career services 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 services 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 services advisors.
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 career services advisors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for career services advisors
The most affordable schools for career services advisors 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 career services 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 services 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 - 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 career services advisors
The hardest universities for career services advisors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for career services 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 services 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
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
5%
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 career services advisors
The easiest schools for career services 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 services 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 services 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. 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 career services advisor salary by education level
| Career services advisor education level | Career services advisor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $51,550 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $42,623 |
| Doctorate Degree | $52,774 |
Career services advisor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025