Human resources psychologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human resources psychologist. Human resources psychologists usually study psychology, clinical psychology, or marketing. 77% of human resources psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 25 real human resources psychologist resumes to see exactly what human resources psychologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for human resources psychologists are the Central State University and the Central State University.

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

What education do you need to become a human resources psychologist?

What degree do you need to be a human resources psychologist?

The most common degree for human resources psychologists is bachelor's degree, with 77% of human resources psychologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 77%

Master's, 9%

Diploma, 9%

Doctorate, 5%

What should I major in to become a human resources psychologist?

You should major in psychology to become a human resources psychologist. 67% of human resources psychologists major in psychology. Other common majors for a human resources psychologist include clinical psychology and marketing.

Psychology, 67%

Clinical Psychology, 10%

Marketing, 5%

General Sales, 5%

Other Majors, 13%

Most common colleges for human resources psychologists

Human resources psychologists often get their degrees at Central State University, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Marywood University. Here are the most common colleges for human resources psychologists in the US based on their resumes.

Human resources psychologist common college	Percentages
Central State University	25.00%
University of Colorado at Boulder	12.50%
Marywood University	12.50%
Michigan School of Psychology	12.50%
La Salle University	12.50%

Show more common human resources psychologist colleges

Best majors for human resources psychologists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	66.7%
2	Clinical Psychology	9.5%
3	Marketing	4.8%
4	General Sales	4.8%
5	General Education, Specific Areas	4.8%

Show more common human resources psychologist majors

Best colleges for human resources psychologists

The best colleges for human resources psychologists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

A human resources psychologist 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 resources psychologists. 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 resources psychologists.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for human resources psychologists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human resources psychologists

The most affordable schools for human resources psychologists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for human resources psychologists 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 resources psychologists.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human resources psychologists

The hardest universities for human resources psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for human resources psychologists 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 resources psychologists 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for human resources psychologists

The easiest schools for human resources psychologists to get into are Barry University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human resources psychologist 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 resources psychologists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average human resources psychologist salary by education level

According to our data, human resources psychologists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $106,164 annually. Human resources psychologists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $84,550.

Human resources psychologist education level	Human resources psychologist salary
Master's Degree	$84,550
Doctorate Degree	$106,164

Human resources psychologist education FAQs

What is the best college for Human Resources Psychologists?

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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.

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