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Compensation coordinator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a compensation coordinator. Compensation coordinators usually study business, human resources management, or accounting. 62% of compensation coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 332 real compensation coordinator resumes to see exactly what compensation coordinator education sections show.

The most common colleges for compensation coordinators are the Northeastern University and the Northeastern University.

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

What education do you need to become a compensation coordinator?

What degree do you need to be a compensation coordinator?

The most common degree for compensation coordinators is bachelor's degree, with 62% of compensation coordinators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Associate, 15%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a compensation coordinator?

You should major in business to become a compensation coordinator. 36% of compensation coordinators major in business. Other common majors for a compensation coordinator include human resources management and accounting.

Most common colleges for compensation coordinators

Compensation coordinators often get their degrees at Northeastern University, Texas A&M; University, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Here are the most common colleges for compensation coordinators in the US based on their resumes.
Compensation coordinator common collegePercentages
Northeastern University8.51%
Texas A&M University6.38%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro6.38%
University of Phoenix6.38%
University of Southern Mississippi6.38%

Best majors for compensation coordinators

RankMajorPercentages
1Business35.6%
2Human Resources Management13.2%
3Accounting9.8%
4Psychology6.3%
5Management4.4%

Best colleges for compensation coordinators

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

A compensation coordinator 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 coordinators. 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 coordinators.

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

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 coordinators

Advertising disclosure

1. Managing Employee Compensation

coursera

Whether you're writing paychecks or wondering where yours comes from, this course is for you! We begin by asking: "To succeed, what kind of a person does your organization need to attract, retain, and motivate?" From there, we'll explain how to align your organization's objectives, its pay philosophy, and ultimately the way it designs and implements its salary structure, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, and benefits. Interested in learning more about the technical aspects of...

2. Sales Operations/Management

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Sales jobs span nearly every industry, from agribusiness and pharmaceuticals, to telecommunications and property management. And essential to sales is the management of the sales force. This course provides the knowledge and know how required for careers in sales management. Students are exposed to all facets of sales management, including organizing, selecting, training, motivating, supervising and compensating the sales force, territory management and administration and sales and expense...

3. Compensation and Benefits for Beginners

udemy
4.3
(486)

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

4. Performance Management and Compensation Management in HRM

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4.4
(276)

Performance Management and Compensation Management Complete Course...

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

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4.2
(351)

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

6. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

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4.3
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Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...

7. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course

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4.3
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Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...

8. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

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4.3
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Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...

9. The Human Resources Certification Program (HRCI - PHR/SPHR)

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4.2
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An Exam Preparation Guide to the Human Resource Body of Knowledge...

10. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

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4.3
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Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...

11. Human Resources (HR) Training for Entry Level Professionals

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4.2
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How To Get Your First Job As An HR Assistant...

12. Effective Human Resource Administration

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4.5
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Effective Human Resource Administration...

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

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4.4
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People Analytics & Analytical Process to Human Capital XL & Open Source Data Mining & ML Tools 6 Data Assignments...

14. Data Entry Skills: A Complete Data Entry Course from Scratch

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A Complete Guide to Data Entry Skills: Learn Data Entry Skills and become a Data Entry Pro & Get a Online Data Entry Job...

15. The Complete Recruiting Masterclass - HR Resources - Hiring

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4.3
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HR Managers - You Can Hire the Right People - Talent Management Skills for Human Resources Professionals...

16. Job Interviewing: Complete Job Interview Success Course 6HR

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4.8
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Job Interviewing is critical. Learn all key Job Interview skills + demo on answering specific job interview questions...

17. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources

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4.4
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Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...

18. Complete Data Entry Skills Course - Learn Data Entry Skills

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4.4
(399)

Learn Essential Data Entry Skills Now To Enhance Your Career -Word - Excel - Database - Data Entry Jobs...

19. Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

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4.5
(5,746)

This course is an introduction to the role and duties of Human Resources (HR)...

20. Salary Negotiation: How to Negotiate a New Job Offer (Pro)

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4.4
(493)

Earn thousands by finding what you're worth, knowing exactly what to say, and negotiating your pay with confidence...

Top 10 most affordable universities for compensation coordinators

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

If the best universities for compensation coordinators 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 coordinators.

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 - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

10. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for compensation coordinators

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

Some great schools for compensation coordinators 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 coordinators 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

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

The easiest schools for compensation coordinators to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and holy names university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average compensation coordinator salary by education level

According to our data, compensation coordinators with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $48,958 annually. Compensation coordinators with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $48,640.
Compensation coordinator education levelCompensation coordinator salary
Master's Degree$48,958
High School Diploma or Less$45,489
Bachelor's Degree$48,640
Some College/ Associate Degree$46,071

Compensation coordinator 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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