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Employee relations representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an employee relations representative. Employee relations representatives usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 74% of employee relations representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 834 real employee relations representative resumes to see exactly what employee relations representative education sections show.

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

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

There are certain employee relations representative certifications that you should consider. These employee relations representative certifications include Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

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

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

The most common degree for employee relations representatives is bachelor's degree, with 74% of employee relations representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

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

You should major in business to become an employee relations representative. 32% of employee relations representatives major in business. Other common majors for an employee relations representative include human resources management and psychology.

Most common colleges for employee relations representatives

Employee relations representatives often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Purdue University, and Ohio State University. Here are the most common colleges for employee relations representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Employee relations representative common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix17.16%
Purdue University6.72%
Ohio State University5.97%
Texas A&M University5.97%
Michigan State University5.97%

Best majors for employee relations representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business31.6%
2Human Resources Management19.8%
3Psychology13.7%
4Management4.1%
5Communication4.1%

Best colleges for employee relations representatives

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

An employee relations representative 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 representatives. 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 representatives.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$52,687

Enrollment

9,392

5. Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$41,870

Enrollment

8,200

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$8,958

Enrollment

2,486

20 best online courses for employee relations representatives

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20. Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act, India 2013

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Top 10 most affordable universities for employee relations representatives

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

If the best universities for employee relations representatives 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 representatives.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

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. 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 relations representatives

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

Some great schools for employee relations representatives 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 representatives 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

8%

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

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

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. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

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

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

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

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. 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. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average employee relations representative salary by education level

According to our data, employee relations representatives with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $81,693 annually. Employee relations representatives with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $75,165.
Employee relations representative education levelEmployee relations representative salary
Master's Degree$75,165
High School Diploma or Less$55,543
Bachelor's Degree$67,320
Doctorate Degree$81,693
Some College/ Associate Degree$55,707

Employee relations representative education FAQs

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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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