Employee benefits director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an employee benefits director. Employee benefits directors usually study business, psychology, or human resources management. 76% of employee benefits directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 431 real employee benefits director resumes to see exactly what employee benefits director education sections show.

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

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

There are certain employee benefits director certifications that you should consider. These employee benefits director certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

What education do you need to become an employee benefits director?

What degree do you need to be an employee benefits director?

The most common degree for employee benefits directors is bachelor's degree, with 76% of employee benefits directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 76%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become an employee benefits director?

You should major in business to become an employee benefits director. 29% of employee benefits directors major in business. Other common majors for an employee benefits director include psychology and human resources management.

Business, 29%

Psychology, 9%

Human Resources Management, 6%

Accounting, 6%

Other Majors, 50%

Most common colleges for employee benefits directors

Employee benefits directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Delaware, and Central Connecticut State University. Here are the most common colleges for employee benefits directors in the US based on their resumes.

Employee benefits director common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	8.93%
University of Delaware	7.14%
Central Connecticut State University	5.36%
University of Pittsburgh	5.36%
Temple University	5.36%

Show more common employee benefits director colleges

Best majors for employee benefits directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.2%
2	Psychology	8.7%
3	Human Resources Management	6.3%
4	Accounting	6.3%
5	Finance	6.3%

Show more common employee benefits director majors

Best colleges for employee benefits directors

The best colleges for employee benefits directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

An employee benefits director 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 benefits directors. 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 benefits directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

7. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for employee benefits directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for employee benefits directors

The most affordable schools for employee benefits directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for employee benefits directors 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 benefits directors.

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. 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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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 employee benefits directors

The hardest universities for employee benefits directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for employee benefits directors 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 benefits directors 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

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. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for employee benefits directors

The easiest schools for employee benefits directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an employee benefits director 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 benefits directors.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average employee benefits director salary by education level

According to our data, employee benefits directors with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $115,958 annually. Employee benefits directors with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $92,855.

Employee benefits director education level	Employee benefits director salary
Bachelor's Degree	$115,958
Some College/ Associate Degree	$92,855

Employee benefits director education FAQs

What is the best college for Employee Benefits Directors?

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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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