Human resource specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human resource specialist. Human resource specialists usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 61% of human resource specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 47,701 real human resource specialist resumes to see exactly what human resource specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for human resource specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online human resource specialist courses to help get the education required to be a human resource specialist.

There are certain human resource specialist certifications that you should consider. These human resource specialist certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

What education do you need to become a human resource specialist?

What degree do you need to be a human resource specialist?

The most common degree for human resource specialists is bachelor's degree, with 61% of human resource specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 16%

Master's, 11%

High School Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a human resource specialist?

You should major in business to become a human resource specialist. 34% of human resource specialists major in business. Other common majors for a human resource specialist include human resources management and psychology.

Business, 34%

Human Resources Management, 17%

Psychology, 8%

Management, 4%

Other Majors, 37%

Most common colleges for human resource specialists

Human resource specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Strayer University, and DeVry University. Here are the most common colleges for human resource specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Human resource specialist common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	26.34%
Strayer University	7.61%
DeVry University	5.53%
Ashford University	5.44%
American University	4.95%

Show more common human resource specialist colleges

Best majors for human resource specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	33.9%
2	Human Resources Management	16.9%
3	Psychology	8.4%
4	Management	4.2%
5	Communication	4.2%

Show more common human resource specialist majors

Best colleges for human resource specialists

The best colleges for human resource specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A human resource 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 human resource 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 human resource 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. 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 human resource specialists

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3. Human Resources For Beginners

4.4

(1,664)

A guide to learning the fundamentals of human resource management...

4. Introduction to Human Resource Concepts

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(3,624)

Introduction to Human Resource Concepts...

5. Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

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(5,746)

This course is an introduction to the role and duties of Human Resources (HR)...

6. Human Resources (HR) Training for Entry Level Professionals

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How To Get Your First Job As An HR Assistant...

7. HR - Agile HR Fundamentals ( Human Resources )

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Human Resources - Paradigm Shift Agile Movement in Human Resources HR Courses HR Certification...

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Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...

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10. The Human Resources Certification Program (HRCI - PHR/SPHR)

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An Exam Preparation Guide to the Human Resource Body of Knowledge...

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The Complete Preparation Course for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR)® Exam 2022-2023...

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Human Resource Management is key to developing any business or organization. Learn core HR roles and responsibilities...

19. SAP Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

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Hatch as a Beginner in SAP HR by Learning the Basics of Human Resources and HCM...

20. Certification Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

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Excel in the HR domain!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for human resource specialists

The most affordable schools for human resource specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for human resource 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 human resource 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. 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 human resource specialists

The hardest universities for human resource specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for human resource 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 human resource 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

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

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 human resource specialists

The easiest schools for human resource specialists 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 a human resource 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 human resource specialists.

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 human resource specialist salary by education level

According to our data, human resource specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $69,327 annually. Human resource specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $64,595.

Human resource specialist education level	Human resource specialist salary
Master's Degree	$64,595
High School Diploma or Less	$48,880
Bachelor's Degree	$58,365
Doctorate Degree	$69,327
Some College/ Associate Degree	$49,043

Human resource specialist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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