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Human service specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a human service specialist. Human service specialists usually study psychology, business, or social work. 64% of human service specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,802 real human service specialist resumes to see exactly what human service specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for human service specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online human service specialist courses to help get the education required to be a human service specialist.
There are certain human service specialist certifications that you should consider. These human service specialist certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a human service specialist?
What degree do you need to be a human service specialist?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a human service specialist?
- Psychology, 18%
- Business, 14%
- Social Work, 13%
- Sociology, 10%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for human service specialists
| Human service specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.39% |
| University of South Carolina - Columbia | 11.64% |
| Limestone College | 8.51% |
| Winthrop University | 6.26% |
| Claflin University | 6.26% |
Best majors for human service specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 18.0% |
| 2 | Business | 13.7% |
| 3 | Social Work | 12.6% |
| 4 | Sociology | 10.0% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 8.8% |
Best colleges for human service specialists
The best colleges for human service specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.
A human service 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 service 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 service specialists.
1. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for human service specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for human service specialists
The most affordable schools for human service specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for human service 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 service specialists.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
10. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Cost of attendance
18,522
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human service specialists
The hardest universities for human service specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.
Some great schools for human service 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 service 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. 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for human service specialists
The easiest schools for human service specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human service 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 service 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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average human service specialist salary by education level
| Human service specialist education level | Human service specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $60,294 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $46,944 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $54,213 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,314 |
Human service specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025