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Compensation consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a compensation consultant. Compensation consultants usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 71% of compensation consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,145 real compensation consultant resumes to see exactly what compensation consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for compensation consultants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online compensation consultant courses to help get the education required to be a compensation consultant.

There are certain compensation consultant certifications that you should consider. These compensation consultant certifications include Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

What education do you need to become a compensation consultant?

What degree do you need to be a compensation consultant?

The most common degree for compensation consultants is bachelor's degree, with 71% of compensation consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Master's, 20%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a compensation consultant?

You should major in business to become a compensation consultant. 32% of compensation consultants major in business. Other common majors for a compensation consultant include human resources management and psychology.

Most common colleges for compensation consultants

Compensation consultants often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for compensation consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Compensation consultant common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix8.33%
New York University6.94%
University of Maryland - College Park6.25%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey6.25%
San Jose State University5.56%

Best majors for compensation consultants

RankMajorPercentages
1Business32.0%
2Human Resources Management13.6%
3Psychology10.3%
4Finance5.8%
5Accounting5.1%

Best colleges for compensation consultants

The best colleges for compensation consultants are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

7. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for compensation consultants

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1. Managing Employee Compensation

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2. Performance Management and Compensation Management in HRM

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3. Compensation and Benefits for Beginners

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This course is a beginners guide to understanding compensation and benefits...

4. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

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Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...

5. Ultimate Payroll Management with Income Tax & Year-End 23-24

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Basic to Advanced: Certification in Payroll, Compensation Benefits, Income Tax,Year Ending for Payroll & Human Resources...

6. Management Consulting Essential Training

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Everything you need to know about the techniques of world's top management consulting firms to land 6-figure job offer...

7. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

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Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...

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An Exam Preparation Guide to the Human Resource Body of Knowledge...

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14. Management Consulting Skills Mastery

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15. Consulting Business Masterclass: Start A Consulting Business

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16. Hands-On HR Analytics Online Course for Human Resources

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People Analytics & Analytical Process to Human Capital XL & Open Source Data Mining & ML Tools 6 Data Assignments...

17. FMCG for Management Consultants and Business Analysts

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18. How to Market Yourself as a Coach or Consultant

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19. Management Consulting Cases for Job Interview

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20. Salary Negotiation - How to Ask for and Receive a Pay Raise

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A Salary Negotiation step-by-step plan to prepare you for asking and receiving a pay raise...

Top 10 most affordable universities for compensation consultants

The most affordable schools for compensation consultants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for compensation consultants 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 compensation consultants.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for compensation consultants

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

Some great schools for compensation consultants 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 compensation consultants 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for compensation consultants

The easiest schools for compensation consultants to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a compensation consultant 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 compensation consultants.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average compensation consultant salary by education level

According to our data, compensation consultants with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $104,148 annually. Compensation consultants with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $89,206.
Compensation consultant education levelCompensation consultant salary
Bachelor's Degree$104,148
Some College/ Associate Degree$89,206

Compensation consultant education FAQs

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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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