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Family support specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a family support specialist. Family support specialists usually study psychology, social work, or human services. 64% of family support specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 12,288 real family support specialist resumes to see exactly what family support specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for family support specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online family support specialist courses to help get the education required to be a family support specialist.
There are certain family support specialist certifications that you should consider. These family support specialist certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Child Development Associate (CDA).
What education do you need to become a family support specialist?
What degree do you need to be a family support specialist?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 13%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a family support specialist?
- Psychology, 19%
- Social Work, 16%
- Human Services, 9%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for family support specialists
| Family support specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 18.13% |
| Arizona State University | 9.55% |
| Western Kentucky University | 6.08% |
| Ashford University | 5.88% |
| Capella University | 4.73% |
Best majors for family support specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 18.9% |
| 2 | Social Work | 15.9% |
| 3 | Human Services | 8.6% |
| 4 | Human Development | 7.4% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 7.3% |
Best colleges for family support specialists
The best colleges for family support specialists are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston College.
A family support 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 support 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 support specialists.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
2. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
3. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. SUNY College at Brockport
Brockport, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,412
Enrollment
7,015
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
20 best online courses for family support specialists
Advertising disclosure
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This course will help you understand and address the challenges parents and families face regarding schooling after a cancer diagnosis. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families can be overwhelmed learning about and managing this new and frightening reality. As they adjust to the new normal of ongoing treatment, school may be the farthest thing from their mind. However, as their oncology health care provider, you have a critical role in starting conversations about schooling. Even for...
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Create families using Autodesk Revit, become proficient in using complex tools in one of the most popular BIM platforms...
Top 10 most affordable universities for family support specialists
The most affordable schools for family support specialists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for family support 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 support 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. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
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. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for family support specialists
The hardest universities for family support specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston College.
Some great schools for family support 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 support 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
3. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
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. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for family support specialists
The easiest schools for family support specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, notre dame de namur university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a family support 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 support specialists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Albertus Magnus College
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
931
10. Waynesburg University
Waynesburg, PA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,080
Average family support specialist salary by education level
| Family support specialist education level | Family support specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $46,466 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $35,844 |
Family support specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025