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Housing specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a housing specialist. Housing specialists usually study business, psychology, or social work. 57% of housing specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,337 real housing specialist resumes to see exactly what housing specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for housing specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online housing specialist courses to help get the education required to be a housing specialist.
There are certain housing specialist certifications that you should consider. These housing specialist certifications include Certified Specialist - Public Housing Manager (CS-PHM) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).
What education do you need to become a housing specialist?
What degree do you need to be a housing specialist?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- Associate, 18%
- Master's, 12%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a housing specialist?
- Business, 21%
- Psychology, 13%
- Social Work, 10%
- Criminal Justice, 7%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for housing specialists
| Housing specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 18.71% |
| College of New Rochelle, The | 8.19% |
| Monroe College | 6.14% |
| New York University | 5.56% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 5.26% |
Best majors for housing specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 21.0% |
| 2 | Psychology | 12.7% |
| 3 | Social Work | 10.1% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 7.4% |
| 5 | Human Services | 7.4% |
Best colleges for housing specialists
The best colleges for housing specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.
A housing 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 housing 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 housing specialists.
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
3. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Enrollment
34,637
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for housing specialists
Advertising disclosure
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SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, poses a high risk for senior housing communities and the people who live and work there. The COVID-19 response has largely focused on nursing homes, leaving independent living communities serving older adults in the United States with fragmented guidance on how to respond to COVID-19 challenges. This course provides comprehensive instruction and resources for property owners and managers, senior housing staff, service coordinators and providers,...
2. Health, Housing, and Educational Services
Course 5 discusses policies in four areas: housing, education, healthcare, and immigration, with an optional fifth module in child protection. This course addresses issues of power, oppression, and white supremacy. -First we’ll look at housing policy, with its contrasting supports for homeowners and renters. -Then we’ll interpret the structure that provides education and examine debates about its future. -The third module will differentiate the issues in the U.S. healthcare system and develop...
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5. Cultural impact of housing displacement gentrification
This course provides an introduction to gentrification and to the cultural impacts of housing displacement for people in cities and neighbourhoods across the world. Gentrification is a term which has been used to describe the process by which wealthier people move into an area leading to the displacement of poorer groups who are priced out of the area by increases in rents and housing prices. It is usually associated with physical improvements to the housing stock and to changes in local shops...
6. Housing Justice: A View from Indian Cities
This course will introduce learners to different approaches to thinking about housing justice, bringing together material, ecological, social and spatial approaches to thinking about housing. Rooting itself in Indian cities, but speaking more broadly to struggles for housing justice more globally, it will offer a diagnosis of what housing justice looks like as well as the modes and practices that can move us towards it ranging from activism and direct action to public policy and participatory...
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19. Intro to Analyzing Rental Income Properties
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20. Tiny House Design Part 1 - Codes and Foundation Selection
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Top 10 most affordable universities for housing specialists
The most affordable schools for housing specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - fullerton, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for housing 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 housing specialists.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Cost of attendance
18,522
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for housing specialists
The hardest universities for housing specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.
Some great schools for housing 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 housing 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 Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,307
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for housing specialists
The easiest schools for housing specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's 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 a housing 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 housing specialists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
8. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
9. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average housing specialist salary by education level
| Housing specialist education level | Housing specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,262 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $39,268 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $44,739 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $39,549 |
Housing specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025