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Executive recruiter education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an executive recruiter. Executive recruiters usually study business, psychology, or communication. 77% of executive recruiters hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 6,688 real executive recruiter resumes to see exactly what executive recruiter education sections show.
The most common colleges for executive recruiters are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online executive recruiter courses to help get the education required to be an executive recruiter.
There are certain executive recruiter certifications that you should consider. These executive recruiter certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
What education do you need to become an executive recruiter?
What degree do you need to be an executive recruiter?
- Bachelor's, 77%
- Master's, 11%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an executive recruiter?
- Business, 30%
- Psychology, 10%
- Communication, 9%
- Marketing, 7%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for executive recruiters
| Executive recruiter common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.46% |
| Ohio State University | 7.06% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.37% |
| Arizona State University | 5.85% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 4.99% |
Best majors for executive recruiters
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 30.4% |
| 2 | Psychology | 9.8% |
| 3 | Communication | 9.2% |
| 4 | Marketing | 6.6% |
| 5 | Human Resources Management | 6.1% |
Best colleges for executive recruiters
The best colleges for executive recruiters are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
An executive recruiter with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for executive recruiters. 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 executive recruiters.
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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for executive recruiters
Advertising disclosure
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5. Recruitment, Interviewing, and Emotional Intelligence
Smart Hiring with Emotional Intelligence: Recruiting, Interviewing Build Strong Teams Maximise Company Success...
6. Recruitment Interviewing Essentials: Interviewing Made Easy
Start hiring confidently, interview skilfully & make recruitment decisions professionally. Avoid costly hiring mistakes...
7. Using LinkedIn to Get a Job Without Going Crazy
A Practical Guide for Job Seekers...
8. Master Hiring & Interview Skills for Recruiting the Best Fit
2023 - All-in-One Human Resources Course on Effective Talent Acquisition, Recruitment, Questioning & Interviewing...
9. Job Seeker's Guide To Nailing Every Interview
Everything you need to know about interviewing so you can get the job of your dreams...
10. [2021] Optimized Interview: For Hiring Managers & Recruiters
A practical step-by-step interviewing guide to help you hire the best candidates every time...
11. Tech Recruitment with ChatGPT: 75 Minute Crash Course
Hiring, IT Recruitment, Technical Recruitment, Chat GPT, GPT4, Software roles, Resume screening, Prompt Engineering...
12. Introduction to Hiring and Recruiting Strategy
Design a Fair, Effective, and Clear Process to Source, Screen, and Select the Best People for Your Team...
13. Recruiter Training - Hire Top Employees in Under 30 Days
Become a confident recruiter. Learn how to find, interview and hire top talent every time. Used by EY, IBM, e Bay & more...
14. The Lean Recruiting Toolkit: Advanced Strategy Course!
An Agile Blueprint for Creating & Executing Top Hiring Strategies Using Lean, Agile & Kaizen Methodologies. Free Book!...
15. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
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16. Job Interviewing: Complete Job Interview Success Course 6HR
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17. Interviewing Skills for Jobs: Ace the Job Interview
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18. Win Any Job Interview - TOP Strategies For Job Interviews
Job Interview Success to Get Your Dream Job: Skills, Strategies, Hacks. Get Better Job Offers and Make More Money...
19. Recruiting Talent: How to find & attract the best candidates
Optimize your recruiting efforts, find top talent, & make sure candidates are a perfect fit for your open positions...
20. Boolean Search for Recruitment & Sourcing (Human Resource)
Boolean Search, Boolean Operators, Boolean String, Google Advanced Search, Xray Search for HR Professionals...
Top 10 most affordable universities for executive recruiters
The most affordable schools for executive recruiters are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for executive recruiters 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 executive recruiters.
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
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 Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
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 executive recruiters
The hardest universities for executive recruiters to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for executive recruiters 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 executive recruiters 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for executive recruiters
The easiest schools for executive recruiters to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and university of north texas at dallas.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an executive recruiter 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 executive recruiters.
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. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average executive recruiter salary by education level
| Executive recruiter education level | Executive recruiter salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $99,816 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $72,445 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,830 |
| Doctorate Degree | $108,268 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,723 |
Executive recruiter education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025