Early intervention specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an early intervention specialist. Early intervention specialists usually study psychology, social work, or human development. 68% of early intervention specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,484 real early intervention specialist resumes to see exactly what early intervention specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for early intervention specialists are the University of North Texas and the University of North Texas.

There are also many online early intervention specialist courses to help get the education required to be an early intervention specialist.

What education do you need to become an early intervention specialist?

What degree do you need to be an early intervention specialist?

The most common degree for early intervention specialists is bachelor's degree, with 68% of early intervention specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Master's, 21%

Associate, 8%

Doctorate, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an early intervention specialist?

You should major in psychology to become an early intervention specialist. 24% of early intervention specialists major in psychology. Other common majors for an early intervention specialist include social work and human development.

Psychology, 24%

Social Work, 10%

Human Development, 10%

Special Education, 10%

Other Majors, 46%

Most common colleges for early intervention specialists

Early intervention specialists often get their degrees at University of North Texas, Texas A&M; University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for early intervention specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Early intervention specialist common college	Percentages
University of North Texas	8.41%
Texas A&M University	7.01%
University of Phoenix	7.01%
Stephen F Austin State University	7.01%
Texas State University	6.07%

Show more common early intervention specialist colleges

Best majors for early intervention specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	23.5%
2	Social Work	9.9%
3	Human Development	9.8%
4	Special Education	9.6%
5	Early Childhood Education	7.3%

Show more common early intervention specialist majors

Best colleges for early intervention specialists

The best colleges for early intervention specialists are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Boston University.

An early intervention 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 early intervention 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 early intervention specialists.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for early intervention specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for early intervention specialists

The most affordable schools for early intervention specialists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for early intervention 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 early intervention specialists.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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 early intervention specialists

The hardest universities for early intervention specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Boston University.

Some great schools for early intervention 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 early intervention 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for early intervention specialists

The easiest schools for early intervention specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, nyack college, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an early intervention 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 early intervention specialists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

5. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

Average early intervention specialist salary by education level

According to our data, early intervention specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $58,188 annually. Early intervention specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $44,133.

Early intervention specialist education level	Early intervention specialist salary
Master's Degree	$58,188
Bachelor's Degree	$44,133

Early intervention specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Early Intervention Specialists?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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