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Employment specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an employment specialist. Employment specialists usually study psychology, business, or social work. 66% of employment specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 12,570 real employment specialist resumes to see exactly what employment specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for employment specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online employment specialist courses to help get the education required to be an employment specialist.
There are certain employment specialist certifications that you should consider. These employment specialist certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Certified Employment Support Specialist.
What education do you need to become an employment specialist?
What degree do you need to be an employment specialist?
- Bachelor's, 66%
- Associate, 14%
- Master's, 12%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become an employment specialist?
- Psychology, 19%
- Business, 18%
- Social Work, 7%
- Human Services, 6%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for employment specialists
| Employment specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 22.17% |
| Temple University | 5.54% |
| Western Washington University | 5.43% |
| Michigan State University | 4.99% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 4.77% |
Best majors for employment specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 18.7% |
| 2 | Business | 18.3% |
| 3 | Social Work | 7.4% |
| 4 | Human Services | 6.4% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 6.3% |
Best colleges for employment specialists
The best colleges for employment specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St Louis.
An employment 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 employment 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 employment specialists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
6. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for employment specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for employment specialists
The most affordable schools for employment specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for employment 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 employment specialists.
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for employment specialists
The hardest universities for employment specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for employment 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 employment 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
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for employment specialists
The easiest schools for employment specialists to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an employment 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 employment specialists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
8. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
9. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average employment specialist salary by education level
| Employment specialist education level | Employment specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,934 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $37,067 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $42,486 |
| Doctorate Degree | $48,502 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $37,162 |
Employment specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025