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Direct service provider education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, direct service providers don't need a college education. The most common degree for direct service providers is bachelor's degree with 40% graduates, with only 22% direct service provider graduates earning associate degree. Direct service providers who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Ashford University. Some good skills to have in this position include direct care, mental illness and intellectual disabilities.

Popular direct service provider certifications include Direct Support Professional- Certified (DSP-C), First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor, or Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (NHA). To improve direct service provider qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in direct service provider education paths.

What education do you need to become a direct service provider?

What degree do you need to be a direct service provider?

The most common degree for direct service providers is bachelor's degree, with 40% of direct service providers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 18%.
  • Bachelor's, 40%
  • Associate, 22%
  • High School Diploma, 18%
  • Diploma, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a direct service provider?

You should major in psychology to become a direct service provider. 20% of direct service providers major in psychology. Other common majors for a direct service provider include business and nursing.

Best majors for direct service providers

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology20.2%
2Business10.1%
3Nursing7.5%
4Medical Assisting Services6.5%
5Social Work6.5%

20 best online courses for direct service providers

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1. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

coursera

This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

2. Community Awareness Course: Sexuality and Disability

coursera

This community awareness course from the University of Minnesota Program on Human Sexuality will provide you with a solid introduction to human sexuality for those living with disabilities. Often there are assumptions that the disabled or differently abled people are not sexual, do not have sexual needs, or cannot be involved sexually. In this professionally produced one-hour course, you'll learn about the basics of disabilities and human sexuality. We'll then learn about three different...

3. CCNP Service Provider SPCOR-350-501

udemy
4.3
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Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies (SPCOR 350-501)...

4. AngularJS Custom Directives with Dan Wahlin

udemy
4.5
(615)

Take your Angular JS skills to the next level and learn the inner workings of Angular JS and custom directives!...

5. Kids with Cancer Still Need School: The Providers Role

coursera

This course will help you understand and address the challenges parents and families face regarding schooling after a cancer diagnosis. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families can be overwhelmed learning about and managing this new and frightening reality. As they adjust to the new normal of ongoing treatment, school may be the farthest thing from their mind. However, as their oncology health care provider, you have a critical role in starting conversations about schooling. Even for...

6. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

coursera

Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

7. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

udemy
4.7
(1,276)

Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

8. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
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Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

9. Self Publish Your Book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

coursera

In this 1.5-hour long project, you will be self-publishing a paperback book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. You will be guided through the entire process of selecting a trim size, downloading a template, formatting the book according to the requirements of Amazon KDP, creating a book cover using the Cover Creator tool, setting up an Amazon KDP account and then publishing the book on Amazon KDP. We will also discuss keyword research & category selection to ensure your book appears on the...

10. Straddles and Strangles - Volatility moves in any direction

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4.2
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Straddles and Strangles are non-directional strategies that can profit from big moves in any direction...

11. Recurring Digital Payment, PayPal, ACH(NACHA/Direct Debit)

udemy
4.5
(584)

Business oriented course - ACH(NACHA/BACS) Direct Debit Digital Payments, Pay Pal...

12. Direct and Produce Animation

udemy
4.5
(452)

People want to join your project. Learn how to guide them into following your vision for your next Animation...

13. Directing the Actor: A USC course with Nina Foch

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4.6
(1,189)

Learn directing and acting techniques from renowned actress Nina Foch in this USC Master Class...

14. Crisis Intervention Seminar

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4.4
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The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

15. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

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4.5
(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

16. Presales Management - IT Solutions & Service Providers

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4.1
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A Framework for effective management of Presales processes...

17. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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4.6
(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

18. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

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4.5
(2,276)

3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

19. Speak Medical Spanish to Your Patients and Clients

udemy
4.4
(591)

Spanish essentials for healthcare; program teaches correct pronunciation, pain management and medication, among others...

20. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

udemy
4.4
(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

Average direct service provider salary by education level

Direct service providers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $30,037 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, direct service providers earn a median annual income of $29,684 compared to $29,454 for direct service providers with an Associate degree.
Direct service provider education levelDirect service provider salary
Master's Degree$30,037
High School Diploma or Less$28,849
Bachelor's Degree$29,684
Some College/ Associate Degree$29,454

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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