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Organizational consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an organizational consultant. Organizational consultants usually study psychology, business, or counseling psychology. 67% of organizational consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 883 real organizational consultant resumes to see exactly what organizational consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for organizational consultants are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

There are also many online organizational consultant courses to help get the education required to be an organizational consultant.

There are certain organizational consultant certifications that you should consider. These organizational consultant certifications include Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Change Management Certified Professional.

What education do you need to become an organizational consultant?

What degree do you need to be an organizational consultant?

The most common degree for organizational consultants is bachelor's degree, with 67% of organizational consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Doctorate, 4%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become an organizational consultant?

You should major in psychology to become an organizational consultant. 29% of organizational consultants major in psychology. Other common majors for an organizational consultant include business and counseling psychology.

Most common colleges for organizational consultants

Organizational consultants often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, New York University, and Ohio State University. Here are the most common colleges for organizational consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Organizational consultant common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University7.38%
New York University6.56%
Ohio State University6.56%
University of Georgia6.56%
Michigan State University5.74%

Best majors for organizational consultants

Best colleges for organizational consultants

The best colleges for organizational consultants are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

An organizational consultant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for organizational consultants. 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 organizational consultants.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for organizational consultants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for organizational consultants

The most affordable schools for organizational consultants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for organizational consultants 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 organizational consultants.

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 - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for organizational consultants

The hardest universities for organizational consultants to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for organizational consultants 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 organizational consultants 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for organizational consultants

The easiest schools for organizational consultants to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an organizational consultant 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 organizational consultants.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average organizational consultant salary by education level

According to our data, organizational consultants with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $89,295 annually. Organizational consultants with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $85,471.
Organizational consultant education levelOrganizational consultant salary
Master's Degree$85,471
Bachelor's Degree$79,001
Doctorate Degree$89,295

Organizational consultant 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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