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Disability advocate education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a disability advocate. Disability advocates usually study psychology, business, or criminal justice. 58% of disability advocates hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 454 real disability advocate resumes to see exactly what disability advocate education sections show.

The most common colleges for disability advocates are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online disability advocate courses to help get the education required to be a disability advocate.

What education do you need to become a disability advocate?

What degree do you need to be a disability advocate?

The most common degree for disability advocates is bachelor's degree, with 58% of disability advocates earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 57%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Doctorate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become a disability advocate?

You should major in psychology to become a disability advocate. 13% of disability advocates major in psychology. Other common majors for a disability advocate include business and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for disability advocates

Disability advocates often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, The University of Alabama, and Southern Connecticut State University. Here are the most common colleges for disability advocates in the US based on their resumes.
Disability advocate common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix11.67%
The University of Alabama6.67%
Southern Connecticut State University6.67%
Florida State University6.67%
Salem State University5.00%

Best majors for disability advocates

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology12.8%
2Business11.5%
3Criminal Justice8.7%
4Social Work8.7%
5Law6.9%

Best colleges for disability advocates

The best colleges for disability advocates are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

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

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for disability advocates

Advertising disclosure

1. Community Awareness Course: Sexuality and Disability

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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...

2. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners

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In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...

3. Supporting Employees with Disabilities

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4.7
(484)

How to Make Your Workplace More Accessible and Inclusive for People with Disabilities...

4. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

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4.5
(941)

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

5. Medical Cannabis: The Health Effects of THC and CBD

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If you want to learn more about medical cannabis (i.e., marijuana) and hemp-derived CBD, then this specialization is for you! A person who wants to know more about cannabis and CBD might be:\n\nA patient or their loved one who wants to understand the potential risks and benefits. A health care provider who wants to communicate with patients about cannabis. Someone who wants to work in the cannabis industry.\n\nWhy do people want to know more about cannabis? The legalization of cannabis (i.e.,...

6. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

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

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

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Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

10. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

12. Customer Service Foundation

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An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

13. Start Improving Customer Service

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Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

14. Effective Legal Office Administration

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Effective Legal Office Administration...

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

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

16. SQL Server Administration: (SQL Server Integration Services)

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17. Customer Service

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How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

18. Brilliant Customer Service: How to Impress your Customers!

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Enhance your customer support and truly differentiate yourself from your competition!...

19. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now

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The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...

20. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents Training Course

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How to provide great customer support using Zendesk, a course for beginners...

Top 10 most affordable universities for disability advocates

The most affordable schools for disability advocates are California State University - Bakersfield, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for disability advocates 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 disability advocates.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for disability advocates

The hardest universities for disability advocates to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for disability advocates 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 disability advocates 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for disability advocates

The easiest schools for disability advocates to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a disability advocate 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 disability advocates.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average disability advocate salary by education level

Disability advocates with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $40,101 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, disability advocates earn a median annual income of $38,058 compared to $35,595 for disability advocates with an Associate degree.
Disability advocate education levelDisability advocate salary
Master's Degree$40,101
High School Diploma or Less$35,458
Bachelor's Degree$38,058
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,595

Disability advocate 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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