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Human services manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human services manager. Human services managers usually study business, social work, or psychology. 57% of human services managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 456 real human services manager resumes to see exactly what human services manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for human services managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain human services manager certifications that you should consider. These human services manager certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

What education do you need to become a human services manager?

What degree do you need to be a human services manager?

The most common degree for human services managers is bachelor's degree, with 57% of human services managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 57%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a human services manager?

You should major in business to become a human services manager. 16% of human services managers major in business. Other common majors for a human services manager include social work and psychology.

Most common colleges for human services managers

Human services managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Chicago State University, and Capella University. Here are the most common colleges for human services managers in the US based on their resumes.
Human services manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix17.95%
Chicago State University11.54%
Capella University6.41%
Grand Canyon University6.41%
New York University5.13%

Best majors for human services managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business15.6%
2Social Work14.1%
3Psychology12.9%
4Human Services7.8%
5Sociology7.4%

Best colleges for human services managers

The best colleges for human services managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

A human services manager 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 services managers. 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 services managers.

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 services managers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human services managers

The most affordable schools for human services managers 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 services managers 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 services managers.

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 services managers

The hardest universities for human services managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

Some great schools for human services managers 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 services managers 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 services managers

The easiest schools for human services managers 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 services manager 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 services managers.

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 services manager salary by education level

According to our data, human services managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $80,536 annually. Human services managers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $70,170.
Human services manager education levelHuman services manager salary
Master's Degree$80,536
High School Diploma or Less$58,226
Bachelor's Degree$70,170
Some College/ Associate Degree$58,822

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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