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Personnel adviser education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a personnel adviser. Personnel advisers usually study business, human resources management, or general studies. 56% of personnel advisers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 103 real personnel adviser resumes to see exactly what personnel adviser education sections show.

The most common colleges for personnel advisers are the Troy University and the Troy University.

There are also many online personnel adviser courses to help get the education required to be a personnel adviser.

What education do you need to become a personnel adviser?

What degree do you need to be a personnel adviser?

The most common degree for personnel advisers is bachelor's degree, with 56% of personnel advisers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 19%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Associate, 19%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a personnel adviser?

You should major in business to become a personnel adviser. 22% of personnel advisers major in business. Other common majors for a personnel adviser include human resources management and general studies.

Most common colleges for personnel advisers

Personnel advisers often get their degrees at Troy University, American University, and Washington State University. Here are the most common colleges for personnel advisers in the US based on their resumes.
Personnel adviser common collegePercentages
Troy University12.90%
American University9.68%
Washington State University6.45%
Liberty University6.45%
Illinois State University6.45%

Best majors for personnel advisers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business22.0%
2Human Resources Management15.3%
3General Studies11.9%
4Psychology6.8%
5Management5.1%

Best colleges for personnel advisers

The best colleges for personnel advisers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

A personnel adviser with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for personnel advisers. 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 personnel advisers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for personnel advisers

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20. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

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Top 10 most affordable universities for personnel advisers

The most affordable schools for personnel advisers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for personnel advisers 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 personnel advisers.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for personnel advisers

The hardest universities for personnel advisers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for personnel advisers 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 personnel advisers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for personnel advisers

The easiest schools for personnel advisers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a personnel adviser 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 personnel advisers.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average personnel adviser salary by education level

According to our data, personnel advisers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $82,358 annually. Personnel advisers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $77,451.
Personnel adviser education levelPersonnel adviser salary
Master's Degree$77,451
Bachelor's Degree$65,277
Doctorate Degree$82,358
Some College/ Associate Degree$50,291

Personnel adviser 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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