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Certified trainer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a certified trainer. Certified trainers usually study business, psychology, or criminal justice. 49% of certified trainers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 9,638 real certified trainer resumes to see exactly what certified trainer education sections show.

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

There are also many online certified trainer courses to help get the education required to be a certified trainer.

There are certain certified trainer certifications that you should consider. These certified trainer certifications include Certified Trainer and Certified Personal Trainer.

What education do you need to become a certified trainer?

What degree do you need to be a certified trainer?

The most common degree for certified trainers is bachelor's degree, with 49% of certified trainers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 49%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 16%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a certified trainer?

You should major in business to become a certified trainer. 25% of certified trainers major in business. Other common majors for a certified trainer include psychology and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for certified trainers

Certified trainers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ohio State University, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for certified trainers in the US based on their resumes.
Certified trainer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix16.53%
Ohio State University6.85%
Arizona State University6.05%
University of Central Florida5.65%
University of Cincinnati5.44%

Best majors for certified trainers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business25.2%
2Psychology10.0%
3Criminal Justice6.3%
4General Studies5.9%
5Communication5.1%

Best colleges for certified trainers

The best colleges for certified trainers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

A certified trainer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for certified trainers. 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 certified trainers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for certified trainers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for certified trainers

The most affordable schools for certified trainers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for certified trainers 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 certified trainers.

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for certified trainers

The hardest universities for certified trainers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

Some great schools for certified trainers 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 certified trainers 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

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. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for certified trainers

The easiest schools for certified trainers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and ottawa university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a certified trainer 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 certified trainers.

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. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average certified trainer salary by education level

According to our data, certified trainers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $67,967 annually. Certified trainers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $60,367.
Certified trainer education levelCertified trainer salary
Master's Degree$67,967
High School Diploma or Less$47,205
Bachelor's Degree$60,367
Some College/ Associate Degree$52,190

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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