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Family specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a family specialist. Family specialists usually study psychology, social work, or criminal justice. 65% of family specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 5,783 real family specialist resumes to see exactly what family specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for family specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online family specialist courses to help get the education required to be a family specialist.
There are certain family specialist certifications that you should consider. These family specialist certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Apple Certified iOS Technician (ACiT) Certification (2018) (ACMT).
What education do you need to become a family specialist?
What degree do you need to be a family specialist?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a family specialist?
- Psychology, 20%
- Social Work, 19%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Sociology, 7%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for family specialists
| Family specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.73% |
| Arizona State University | 8.08% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 6.15% |
| Bellevue University | 5.96% |
| University of South Florida | 5.19% |
Best majors for family specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 19.8% |
| 2 | Social Work | 19.1% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 9.0% |
| 4 | Sociology | 7.2% |
| 5 | Business | 6.6% |
Best colleges for family specialists
The best colleges for family specialists are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Johns Hopkins University.
A family 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 family 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 family specialists.
1. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for family specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Personal & Family Financial Planning
Personal and Family Financial Planning will address many critical personal financial management topics in order to help you learn prudent habits both while in school and throughout your lifetime...
2. Leadership in the Family Business
To ensure that the family business transcends and the company is sustained over time, in this course of entrepreneurship and business administration, you will have the opportunity to understand the complexity of family and business dynamics, reflect on the roles and ways of thinking of the family's leader and make a diagnosis of entrepreneurship. All this in order for you to know the instruments and components that involve leading and orchestrating the family business: the future vision of the...
3. How to Help Family Members or Friends with Mental Illness
Practical Counseling Skills to help children, family or friends with Depression, Anxiety, or Other Mental Illness...
4. Couples Counselling using Systemic Family Therapy
Help people build stronger relationships and marriages by learning couples counselling skills...
5. Fundamentals of entrepreneurship in the family business
Nowadays, family businesses are indispensable in our economy. However, it is very important to identify the tools and strategies of success that allow them to transcend in a competitive environment. For that reason, this entrepreneurship course gives you the opportunity to know and apply best practices, taking into account entrepreneurship and innovation models that will allow you to take advantage of the strengths that posseses the family business, in order to create a suitable business for...
6. Helping Families Avoid Negative Court Involvement Teach-Out
This course will teach learners how to understand when issues can become legal issues, encourage learners to recognize legal problems early, identify possible “legal soft spots” in their own situations, and act when issues are identified to avoid them escalating. This course will also teach and encourage learners to think preventatively and provide some tools to use with an eye toward preventing future legal issues. Finally, this Teach-out seeks to expand the idea of legal health checks to a...
7. Photography - Individual & Family Posing - Live Sessions
Dramatically improve your portraits with these easy relaxed posing techniques. Flatter your subjects & they'll love you!...
8. Revit Families - From Beginner to Pro
Create families using Autodesk Revit, become proficient in using complex tools in one of the most popular BIM platforms...
9. Leading a Family Business
This specialized Program is aimed at leaders and entrepreneurs, who seek to develop strategies for transgenerational entrepreneurship and innovation.\n\nThrough three courses, you will cover the strategies and tools that entrepreneurs and startups use to develop business ideas and launch innovations that will prepare you to orchestrate the family business and Identify and apply the characteristics that will allow you to be a good business leader and an expert in making decisions about your own...
10. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
11. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...
12. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
13. Introduction to Technical Support
Technical Support professionals are in great demand! This is the first course in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate program, designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in technical support. You will begin this self-paced course by learning what Informational Technology (IT) support is all about. You'll find out the roles and responsibilities of Technical Support professionals and become familiar with all the different career paths you can take in Technical Support. You will also...
14. Customer Service Fundamentals
There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...
15. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience
Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...
16. The Complete Guide To Analyzing Single Family Rental Homes
How To Analyze and Evaluate Single Family Rental Property Acquisition Opportunities...
17. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...
18. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
19. Learn Massage For Lovers, Friends And Family
Discover how easy massage techniques can be a path to happier relationships, better marriages and grateful friends...
20. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!
How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...
Top 10 most affordable universities for family specialists
The most affordable schools for family specialists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for family 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 family specialists.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for family specialists
The hardest universities for family specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for family 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 family 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. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for family specialists
The easiest schools for family specialists to get into are Nyack College, mount saint mary's university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a family 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 family specialists.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
7. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
Average family specialist salary by education level
| Family specialist education level | Family specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,879 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $39,118 |
Family specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025