Employee relations manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an employee relations manager. Employee relations managers usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 73% of employee relations managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,486 real employee relations manager resumes to see exactly what employee relations manager education sections show.

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

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

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

What education do you need to become an employee relations manager?

What degree do you need to be an employee relations manager?

The most common degree for employee relations managers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of employee relations managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 73%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 7%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an employee relations manager?

You should major in business to become an employee relations manager. 31% of employee relations managers major in business. Other common majors for an employee relations manager include human resources management and psychology.

Business, 31%

Human Resources Management, 21%

Psychology, 9%

Management, 5%

Other Majors, 34%

Most common colleges for employee relations managers

Employee relations managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Michigan State University, and Cornell University. Here are the most common colleges for employee relations managers in the US based on their resumes.

Employee relations manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	18.51%
Michigan State University	7.12%
Cornell University	6.76%
Florida State University	4.98%
Western Michigan University	4.63%

Show more common employee relations manager colleges

Best majors for employee relations managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	31.5%
2	Human Resources Management	21.1%
3	Psychology	9.2%
4	Management	4.6%
5	Communication	3.9%

Show more common employee relations manager majors

Best colleges for employee relations managers

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

An employee relations manager 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 relations managers. 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 relations managers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for employee relations managers

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3. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

4.3

(312)

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

4. Labor Relations for Human Resources

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(846)

Understand the basics of the collective bargaining agreement process...

5. 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...

6. Effectively Managing Employee Performance

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(1,987)

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

7. 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...

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

19. Understanding Performance Management as an HR Professional

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This course is designed for human resources professionals or those who wish to learn more about performance management...

20. Preventing Workplace Harassment 101

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Avoid inappropriate or questionable conduct and respond properly to harassment situations...

Top 10 most affordable universities for employee relations managers

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

If the best universities for employee relations managers 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 relations managers.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

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 employee relations managers

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

Some great schools for employee relations managers 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 relations managers 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. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for employee relations managers

The easiest schools for employee relations managers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an employee relations manager 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 relations managers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average employee relations manager salary by education level

According to our data, employee relations managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $98,861 annually. Employee relations managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $95,652.

Employee relations manager education level	Employee relations manager salary
Master's Degree	$95,652
Bachelor's Degree	$87,257
Doctorate Degree	$98,861
Some College/ Associate Degree	$75,849

Employee relations manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Employee Relations Managers?

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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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