Collections Specialist Education Requirements And Courses

Collections specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Usually, collections specialists don't need a college education. The most common degree for collections specialists is bachelor's degree with 34% graduates, with only 25% collections specialist graduates earning associate degree. Collections specialists who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or DeVry University. Some good skills to have in this position include customer service, patients and customer accounts.

Popular collections specialist certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM). To improve collections specialist qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in collections specialist education paths.

What education do you need to become a collections specialist?

What degree do you need to be a collections specialist?

The most common degree for collections specialists is bachelor's degree, with 34% of collections specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 25% and associate degree degree at 24%.

Bachelor's, 34%

Associate, 25%

High School Diploma, 24%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a collections specialist?

You should major in business to become a collections specialist. 34% of collections specialists major in business. Other common majors for a collections specialist include accounting and health care administration.

Business, 34%

Accounting, 10%

Health Care Administration, 7%

General Studies, 6%

Other Majors, 43%

Best majors for collections specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	33.7%
2	Accounting	10.2%
3	Health Care Administration	6.7%
4	General Studies	6.0%
5	Criminal Justice	5.8%

Show more common collections specialist majors

20 best online courses for collections specialists

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1. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement

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Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...

2. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

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Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

3. Accounting & Financial Statement Analysis: Complete Training

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Accounting & Financial Ratio Analysis made easy. Learn important accounting skills that will get your foot in the door!...

4. Principles of Financial Accounting

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Learn the complete accounting cycle -recording business transactions to presenting the Balance Sheet & Income Statement...

5. Financial Accounting-Debits & Credits-Accounting Transaction

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Masterclass: Learn Accounting Principles, Financial Statements, Transactions & More in this Comprehensive Course...

6. Accounting101: Learn Accounts Receivable From A to Z

4.3

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Learn The Accounts Receivable Cycle, Basics of Accounts Receivable, Accelerating Collections and Much More...

7. Accounting, Bookkeeping & Financial Analysis (Accounting)

4.5

(521)

Accounting & Bookkeeping Basics. Accounting & Financial Analysis Concepts. Learn Accounting & Bookkeeping...

8. Accounting Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Financial Accounting

4.5

(2,757)

Accounting is not about Math, it is about concepts. And no one said it has to be hard. Learn the basics in just 2 hours!...

9. Financial Accounting: The Complete Introductory Crash Course

4.5

(1,604)

Learn the Basics of Financial Accounting: Financial Statements, Debits and Credits, The Accounting Cycle and More!...

10. Financial Bookkeeping and Accountancy: Complete Accounting

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A Complete Course on Book-keeping & Accounting Course For Level 1 & 2 aspirants...

11. Accounting basics, create financial statements easily

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

12. Accounting & Bookkeeping Masterclass - Beginner to Advanced

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(4,371)

Accounting, Bookkeeping Introduction, Accounting, Bookkeeping Entries, Accounting, Bookkeeping Adjustments & Reports...

13. Introductory Financial Accounting

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Learn the basics of Accounting including: the accounting cycle, inventory, depreciation, receivables, and more!...

14. Governmental Accounting 100

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Fund accounting-governmental accounting-General Fund & government-wide activity transactions-modified accrual method...

15. Excel Accounting Problem

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Learn How to Create an Accounting Worksheet Using Microsoft Excel from a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)...

16. Accounting for Corporations - Financial Accounting

4.8

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Demystifying Corporate Accounting: An In-depth Exploration of Financial Transactions in Corporations...

17. Advanced Financial Accounting: Acquisitions & Consolidations

4.1

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Acquisitions, Consolidations, and Reporting. Master complex concepts and applications...

18. Financial Accounting - Closing Process

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Conquering the Closing Process: A Thorough Exploration of the Final Step in Accounting...

19. Partnership Accounting - Financial Accounting

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Unlocking the Power of Partnership Accounting: Strategies for Effective Management and Financial Decision Making...

20. ACCA: FA (F3) Financial Accounting

4.5

(1,302)

Let's get to grasps of how to perform the basics of financial accounting...

Average collections specialist salary by education level

According to our data, collections specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $37,756 annually. Collections specialists with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $35,587.

Collections specialist education level	Collections specialist salary
High School Diploma or Less	$35,572
Bachelor's Degree	$37,756
Some College/ Associate Degree	$35,587