Employee adviser education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an employee adviser. Employee advisers usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 64% of employee advisers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 171 real employee adviser resumes to see exactly what employee adviser education sections show.

The most common colleges for employee advisers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online employee adviser courses to help get the education required to be an employee adviser.

There are certain employee adviser certifications that you should consider. These employee adviser certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

What education do you need to become an employee adviser?

What degree do you need to be an employee adviser?

The most common degree for employee advisers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of employee advisers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Master's, 15%

Associate, 13%

Doctorate, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become an employee adviser?

You should major in business to become an employee adviser. 35% of employee advisers major in business. Other common majors for an employee adviser include human resources management and psychology.

Business, 35%

Human Resources Management, 16%

Psychology, 12%

Management, 7%

Other Majors, 30%

Most common colleges for employee advisers

Employee advisers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Florida, and Ashford University. Here are the most common colleges for employee advisers in the US based on their resumes.

Employee adviser common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	18.92%
University of Florida	5.41%
Ashford University	5.41%
Bridgewater College	5.41%
New York University	5.41%

Show more common employee adviser colleges

Best majors for employee advisers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	35.4%
2	Human Resources Management	15.9%
3	Psychology	12.4%
4	Management	7.1%
5	Liberal Arts	3.5%

Show more common employee adviser majors

Best colleges for employee advisers

The best colleges for employee advisers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

An employee adviser with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for employee advisers. 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 employee advisers.

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

6. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

20 best online courses for employee advisers

Advertising disclosure

1. Sexual Harassment Training for Employees in the Workplace

4.6

(12,984)

Learn about sexual harassment in the workplace and the ways to identify, report, and prevent it...

2. Sexual Harassment Training for Managers

4.5

(1,111)

Learn how to create a safe, secure, and inclusive work environment...

3. Management Coaching Employee Performance Coach Certification

4.5

(3,190)

Set expectations, assess performance, provide feedback, increase productivity, develop employee potential...

4. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

4.3

(1,337)

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

5. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

4.3

(312)

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

6. Human Resources (HR) as a Business Partner

4.1

(758)

This course provides valuable information on how Human Resource Business Partnering (HRBP) operates in practice...

7. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course

4.3

(1,866)

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

8. Human Resources For Beginners

4.4

(1,664)

A guide to learning the fundamentals of human resource management...

9. Effectively Managing Employee Performance

4.4

(1,987)

Learn how to prevent performance problems, identify, counsel, and take action...

10. Management Skills - Build Employee Engagement & Performance

4.5

(2,238)

8 Practical Management & Leadership Skills and Techniques to Develop Higher Employee Engagement and Performance + E-book...

11. Management Coaching: Coaching Employees for High Performance

4.5

(752)

Management Coaching and Communication Course, that Enables Any Manager to Achieve Better Employee & Team Performance...

12. HR as a Strategic Business Partner

4.4

(2,094)

Better understand your value and role as a strategic business partner...

13. HR 101: Compliance Made Easy - U.S. Employers Must Have

4.6

(1,606)

Streamline the most critical human resource (HR) processes and be in compliance with U.S. employment regulations...

14. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed

4.6

(1,691)

HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...

15. Intro to Business • HR: Payroll Fundamentals

4.5

(645)

Understand the Basics of Processing Employee Payroll...

16. Introduction to Human Resource Management

4.7

(2,402)

HRM is an important function of any organization. It includes managing people in a structured and thorough manner...

17. Employee Engagement Performance Management Certificate 2023

4.5

(2,177)

Manager Essentials: Management Coaching People Management Accredited Communication & Human Resources Talent Management...

18. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

4.5

(1,035)

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

19. Performance Management For Managers

4.4

(5,332)

Learn to successfully monitor, encourage and positively improve the performance of employees in the workplace...

20. Payroll Management

4.5

(338)

Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...

Top 10 most affordable universities for employee advisers

The most affordable schools for employee advisers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and florida international university.

If the best universities for employee advisers 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 employee advisers.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for employee advisers

The hardest universities for employee advisers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for employee advisers 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 employee advisers 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for employee advisers

The easiest schools for employee advisers to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an employee adviser 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 employee advisers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. American International College

Springfield, MA • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

1,010

Average employee adviser salary by education level

Employee advisers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $99,144 annually. With a Master's degree, employee advisers earn a median annual income of $91,311 compared to $81,141 for employee advisers with an Bachelor's degree.

Employee adviser education level	Employee adviser salary
Master's Degree	$91,311
High School Diploma or Less	$66,004
Bachelor's Degree	$81,141
Doctorate Degree	$99,144
Some College/ Associate Degree	$66,260

Employee adviser education FAQs

What is the best college for Employee Advisers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for employee adviser jobs

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

Browse business and financial jobs