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Lobbyist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a lobbyist. Lobbyists usually study political science, business, or law. 71% of lobbyists hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 973 real lobbyist resumes to see exactly what lobbyist education sections show.
The most common colleges for lobbyists are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.
There are also many online lobbyist courses to help get the education required to be a lobbyist.
What education do you need to become a lobbyist?
What degree do you need to be a lobbyist?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 11%
- Doctorate, 8%
- Associate, 6%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a lobbyist?
- Political Science, 29%
- Business, 13%
- Law, 9%
- Communication, 6%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for lobbyists
| Lobbyist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Florida State University | 9.92% |
| University of Connecticut | 7.63% |
| Western Washington University | 7.63% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.11% |
| University of Florida | 5.34% |
Best majors for lobbyists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science | 28.6% |
| 2 | Business | 12.6% |
| 3 | Law | 8.9% |
| 4 | Communication | 5.5% |
| 5 | History | 4.7% |
Best colleges for lobbyists
The best colleges for lobbyists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A lobbyist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for lobbyists. 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 lobbyists.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
7. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for lobbyists
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1. Data Streaming
Learn how to process data in real-time by building fluency in modern data engineering tools, such as Apache Spark, Kafka, Spark Streaming, and Kafka Streaming. ...
2. Global Health Policy
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3. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
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5. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding
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6. Population Health: Governance
How can we organise care in such a way that we optimize experience, quality and costs? What type of governance is needed? And how should healthcare organisations collaborate? These are central questions in this course. In answering them, we depart from a recognition of the impact of three crucial global shifts in health care governance: 1) the change in focus from cure to population health, 2) the increased attention to social determinants of health, and 3) the stronger involvement of...
7. Engineering Life: Synbio, Bioethics & Public Policy
Synbio is a diverse field with diverse applications, and the different contexts (e.g., gain-of-function research, biofuels) raise different ethical and governance challenges. The objective of this course is to increase learners’ awareness and understanding of ethical and policy/governance issues that arise in the design, conduct and application of synthetic biology. The course will begin with a short history of recombinant DNA technology and how governance of that science developed and evolved,...
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9. 2017 Great Decisions: Foreign Policy Association
Learn about leading foreign policy challenges confronting U.S. policy makers and the American public...
10. Justice and Equity in Technology Policy
More than ever, technology is shaping, and being shaped by, public policy. This has an enormous impact, particularly for marginalized communities. The artificial intelligence and computer algorithms increasingly driving government and industry decisions—from the allocation of social services to hiring—are reflecting and reinforcing social biases towards women, people of color, and disabled people, among others. Global climate change is having a disproportionately negative impact on low- and...
11. Global Energy and Climate Policy
The Global Energy and Climate Policy course offers an introduction to the theoretical and practical understanding of how energy and climate change policies are designed, shaped, advocated and implemented. As energy markets go truly global, domestic energy policies are becoming more and more entangled with wider issues of international governance. Concurrently, the urgent need to mitigate and adapt to climate change and transition to a low-carbon future is adding a further layer of complexity...
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13. The Constitution and American Government
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14. Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy
Welcome to "Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy". One Health is the concept that human, animal, and environmental/ecosystem health are linked. The concept provides a useful framework for examining complex health issues such as food safety and security, emerging and vector-borne diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. It can be used to analyze government policies to determine if they are effective in improving health and well-being. Agriculture is the foundation of...
15. The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health
The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health provides an engaging overview of the incredible accomplishments and promise of the public health field. The first module includes interviews with legendary public health figures whose work led to millions of lives saved with vaccines, air bags and car seats, and the federal Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. The second module brings key public health tools to life -- including use of data, communications, and policy - through...
16. 4x1 Data Management/Governance/Security/Ethics Masterclass
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17. The Complete Guide to Corporate Governance
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18. Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives
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19. Critical Issues in Urban Education
Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...
20. Public Relations: Media Crisis Communications
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Top 10 most affordable universities for lobbyists
The most affordable schools for lobbyists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for lobbyists 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 lobbyists.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for lobbyists
The hardest universities for lobbyists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for lobbyists 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 lobbyists 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for lobbyists
The easiest schools for lobbyists to get into are Barry 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 lobbyist 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 lobbyists.
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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average lobbyist salary by education level
| Lobbyist education level | Lobbyist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $51,115 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $46,275 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025