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Document specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a document specialist. Document specialists usually study business, nursing, or english. 51% of document specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 18,826 real document specialist resumes to see exactly what document specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for document specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online document specialist courses to help get the education required to be a document specialist.

There are certain document specialist certifications that you should consider. These document specialist certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

What education do you need to become a document specialist?

What degree do you need to be a document specialist?

The most common degree for document specialists is bachelor's degree, with 51% of document specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 21% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 51%
  • Associate, 21%
  • High School Diploma, 11%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a document specialist?

You should major in business to become a document specialist. 25% of document specialists major in business. Other common majors for a document specialist include nursing and english.

Most common colleges for document specialists

Document specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Strayer University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for document specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Document specialist common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix22.14%
Strayer University6.37%
University of Maryland - College Park6.05%
DeVry University6.05%
Pennsylvania State University4.64%

Best majors for document specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business25.0%
2Nursing8.6%
3English6.9%
4Health Care Administration5.7%
5Psychology5.4%

Best colleges for document specialists

The best colleges for document specialists are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for document specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. GST - Maintaining documents, accounts and records

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GST, being a transaction-level tax, requires certain documentation to be generated and maintained to comply with the law and curb malpractices. GST also has a stringent requirement for the maintenance of appropriate accounts and records. In this course, you will learn about E-invoices and E-waybills required to be generated at a transaction level. You will also learn about the accounts and records that are required to be maintained by businesses. This course provides a platform for learners...

2. Fundamentals of Document Accessibility

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By the end of this project, you will be able to create simple, accessibility friendly documents in Microsoft Word. You will use styling tools to format headings, write strong alt texts, and select accessible color palettes...

3. Best Practices in Document Management

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4.4
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Develop your cost-effective and future-proof documentation strategy...

4. The Art of API Documentation

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API Documentation 3: Teaches technical writers how to write API overview material, tutorials, etc...

5. Create Stakeholder Management Documents in LibreOffice

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In this project, you will learn about creating stakeholder management documents in LibreOffice. You will learn how to identify stakeholders, prioritize the stakeholders, develop a management strategy and monitor stakeholder engagement. Stakeholders play a key role in project and organization success! Note: This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We’re currently working on providing the same experience in other regions...

6. Convert Word to PDF with SharePoint & Power Automate

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What's the best and quickest way to convert Word documents to PDF, get rid of the old version, automatically upload the new PDF version to the folder of our choice and get a notification about it, and all that in just a few clicks? With SharePoint and Power Automate, tools anyone can learn to use regardless of educational background! In this beginner-level guided project "Convert Word to PDF with SharePoint & Power Automate" we will create a SharePoint site and a SharePoint list that will...

7. The New Trainer's Guide to Creating End User Documentation

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8. All Export Documentation & Procedures Any Origin

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A framework for writing software documentation for an API as a technical writer, using Postman or Swagger UI...

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Learn a proven strategy for writing software docu in Git Hub wiki based on the 12 main principles of technical writing!...

12. Project Charter Specialist (Accredited) Project Management

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13. SAP OOPS ABAP ( With complete Material/Documentation )

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SAP OOPS ABAP (With complete material/documentation including theory, sample programs, definitions, Program examples )...

14. Business Requirements Document for Beginner Business Analyst

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Recommended Course for the Beginner BA Who Speaks English as a Second Language...

15. SAP Implementation Process Training with Sample Documents

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SAP Functional Implementation and Roles and Responsibilities...

16. Business Writing & Technical Writing Immersion

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Effective Writing Technical Documentation Writing System Software Documentation Emails PPTs...

17. Learn API Technical Writing: JSON and XML for Writers

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API Documentation 1: Teaches technical writers how to document structured data. No programming experience required...

18. Learn API Technical Writing 2: REST for Writers

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API Documentation 2: Teaches technical writers how to document REST. No programming experience required...

19. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering

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Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...

20. Internal audit on Medical Device QMS - ISO 13485:2016

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Successfully conduct an internal audit based on requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

Top 10 most affordable universities for document specialists

The most affordable schools for document specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for document specialists 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 document specialists.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for document specialists

The hardest universities for document specialists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for document specialists 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 document specialists 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

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. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for document specialists

The easiest schools for document specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a document specialist 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 document specialists.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average document specialist salary by education level

According to our data, document specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $48,566 annually. Document specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $48,447.
Document specialist education levelDocument specialist salary
Master's Degree$48,447
Bachelor's Degree$41,913
Doctorate Degree$48,566
Some College/ Associate Degree$33,095

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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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