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Job development specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a job development specialist. Job development specialists usually study business, psychology, or sociology. 62% of job development specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 881 real job development specialist resumes to see exactly what job development specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for job development specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

What education do you need to become a job development specialist?

What degree do you need to be a job development specialist?

The most common degree for job development specialists is bachelor's degree, with 62% of job development specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Master's, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a job development specialist?

You should major in business to become a job development specialist. 26% of job development specialists major in business. Other common majors for a job development specialist include psychology and sociology.

Most common colleges for job development specialists

Job development specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and University of Wisconsin Colleges. Here are the most common colleges for job development specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Job development specialist common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.52%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey6.35%
University of Wisconsin Colleges6.35%
Howard University6.35%
George Mason University6.35%

Best majors for job development specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business26.5%
2Psychology13.2%
3Sociology7.0%
4Communication6.6%
5Criminal Justice4.4%

Best colleges for job development specialists

The best colleges for job development specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A job development 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 job development 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 job development 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 job development specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for job development specialists

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

If the best universities for job development 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 job development 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 job development specialists

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

Some great schools for job development 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 job development 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

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

5%

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 job development specialists

The easiest schools for job development 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 job development 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 job development 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 job development specialist salary by education level

According to our data, job development specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,633 annually. Job development specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $40,384.
Job development specialist education levelJob development specialist salary
Master's Degree$42,633
High School Diploma or Less$36,089
Bachelor's Degree$40,384
Some College/ Associate Degree$37,784

Job development specialist education FAQs

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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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