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Organizational development consultant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an organizational development consultant. Organizational development consultants usually study business, psychology, or counseling psychology. 63% of organizational development consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,598 real organizational development consultant resumes to see exactly what organizational development consultant education sections show.
The most common colleges for organizational development consultants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online organizational development consultant courses to help get the education required to be an organizational development consultant.
There are certain organizational development consultant certifications that you should consider. These organizational development consultant certifications include Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What education do you need to become an organizational development consultant?
What degree do you need to be an organizational development consultant?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 28%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become an organizational development consultant?
- Business, 24%
- Psychology, 23%
- Other Majors, 35%
Most common colleges for organizational development consultants
| Organizational development consultant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.46% |
| Capella University | 6.73% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.77% |
| Florida State University | 5.29% |
| George Washington University, The | 5.29% |
Best majors for organizational development consultants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.1% |
| 2 | Psychology | 22.6% |
| 3 | Counseling Psychology | 9.6% |
| 4 | Human Resources Management | 8.5% |
| 5 | Education | 4.5% |
Best colleges for organizational development consultants
The best colleges for organizational development consultants are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
An organizational development 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 development 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 development consultants.
1. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
20 best online courses for organizational development consultants
Advertising disclosure
1. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources
Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...
2. Business Strategy Development: The Art of Differentiation
Learn 3 key business strategy tools. Improve your business innovation skills and drive profitable business development...
3. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0
Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...
4. Performance Improvement Projects for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to conduct consulting projects on the level of Mc Kinsey, Bain, BCG, Pw C...
5. Business Mind - Mastering Business Development
Master in Practice the Product, Sales and Marketing Perspective of Business Development...
6. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups
The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...
7. Strategy for Management Consultants & Business Analysts
Top advices from consulting practice with examples and case studies...
8. Boost Your Career Success by Developing Your Soft Skills
Assess your personal development skill gaps with the Success@Work Model. Create your action plan to boost career success...
9. Executive Coaching and Business Case Development
The Guide to Executive Coaching and Business Case Development Success...
10. Certification Course in Human Resource Management
Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...
11. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)
Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...
12. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to improve sales and marketing of your customers during consulting projects like Mc Kinsey, BCG,...
13. Career Coaching Certification in Career Development Coaching
Career Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Ready-To-Work Professionals in Holistic Career Development Career Coaching...
14. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley
The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...
15. FMCG for Management Consultants and Business Analysts
A practical guide on how to analyze in Excel and improve consumer goods business during consulting projects...
16. The Ultimate Guide to Startup Business Development
Learn and master the function of business development in this practical, actionable, and content-rich training course...
17. Business Development For Startups and Tech Companies
Unlock massive growth using the business development channel. Learn pitching, BD strategy, cold emailing, & deal closing...
18. Management Consulting Essential Training
Everything you need to know about the techniques of world's top management consulting firms to land 6-figure job offer...
19. Retail for Business Analysts and Management Consultants
A practical guide with cases studies how to analyze and improve a retail business during management consulting projects...
20. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants
How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...
Top 10 most affordable universities for organizational development consultants
The most affordable schools for organizational development consultants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for organizational development 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 development 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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for organizational development consultants
The hardest universities for organizational development consultants to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
Some great schools for organizational development 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 development 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
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. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for organizational development consultants
The easiest schools for organizational development consultants to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an organizational development 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 development consultants.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average organizational development consultant salary by education level
| Organizational development consultant education level | Organizational development consultant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $80,207 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $67,645 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $80,188 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $73,118 |
Organizational development consultant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025