Human resources secretary education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human resources secretary. Human resources secretaries usually study business, secretarial and administrative science, or human resources management. 39% of human resources secretaries hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,780 real human resources secretary resumes to see exactly what human resources secretary education sections show.

The most common colleges for human resources secretaries are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain human resources secretary certifications that you should consider. These human resources secretary certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Word 2010 Certification.

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

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

The most common degree for human resources secretaries is bachelor's degree, with 39% of human resources secretaries earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 29% and associate degree degree at 16%.

Bachelor's, 39%

Associate, 29%

High School Diploma, 16%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 9%

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

You should major in business to become a human resources secretary. 33% of human resources secretaries major in business. Other common majors for a human resources secretary include secretarial and administrative science and human resources management.

Business, 33%

Secretarial And Administrative Science, 11%

Human Resources Management, 9%

Accounting, 7%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for human resources secretaries

Human resources secretaries often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Faulkner University, and Illinois State University. Here are the most common colleges for human resources secretaries in the US based on their resumes.

Human resources secretary common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	22.92%
Faulkner University	5.21%
Illinois State University	4.17%
Miami Dade College	4.17%
Rockhurst University	4.17%

Show more common human resources secretary colleges

Best majors for human resources secretaries

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	33.2%
2	Secretarial And Administrative Science	10.7%
3	Human Resources Management	8.8%
4	Accounting	7.1%
5	Psychology	5.4%

Show more common human resources secretary majors

Best colleges for human resources secretaries

The best colleges for human resources secretaries are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

A human resources secretary 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 secretaries. 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 secretaries.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Enrollment

14,629

7. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

8. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

20 best online courses for human resources secretaries

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human resources secretaries

The most affordable schools for human resources secretaries are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.

If the best universities for human resources secretaries 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 secretaries.

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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human resources secretaries

The hardest universities for human resources secretaries to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

Some great schools for human resources secretaries 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 secretaries 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. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

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

The easiest schools for human resources secretaries to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and gwynedd mercy university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average human resources secretary salary by education level

According to our data, human resources secretaries with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $50,660 annually. Human resources secretaries with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $40,896.

Human resources secretary education level	Human resources secretary salary
Master's Degree	$50,660
High School Diploma or Less	$34,515
Bachelor's Degree	$40,896
Some College/ Associate Degree	$35,441

Human resources secretary education FAQs

What is the best college for Human Resources Secretaries?

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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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