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Personnel psychologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a personnel psychologist. Personnel psychologists usually study psychology, counseling psychology, or special education. 65% of personnel psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 24 real personnel psychologist resumes to see exactly what personnel psychologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for personnel psychologists are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
There are also many online personnel psychologist courses to help get the education required to be a personnel psychologist.
What education do you need to become a personnel psychologist?
What degree do you need to be a personnel psychologist?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 25%
- Doctorate, 10%
What should I major in to become a personnel psychologist?
- Psychology, 55%
- Other Majors, 17%
Most common colleges for personnel psychologists
| Personnel psychologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 11.11% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 5.56% |
| Gannon University | 5.56% |
| Agnes Scott College | 5.56% |
| Hendrix College | 5.56% |
Best majors for personnel psychologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 54.5% |
| 2 | Counseling Psychology | 13.6% |
| 3 | Special Education | 9.1% |
| 4 | Human Development | 4.5% |
| 5 | Communication | 4.5% |
Best colleges for personnel psychologists
The best colleges for personnel psychologists are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.
A personnel psychologist 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 psychologists. 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 psychologists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
10. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
20 best online courses for personnel psychologists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for personnel psychologists
The most affordable schools for personnel psychologists are California State University - Bakersfield, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for personnel psychologists 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 psychologists.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
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 psychologists
The hardest universities for personnel psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for personnel psychologists 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 psychologists 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
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 personnel psychologists
The easiest schools for personnel psychologists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's 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 personnel psychologist 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 psychologists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
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. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
6. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average personnel psychologist salary by education level
| Personnel psychologist education level | Personnel psychologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $84,591 |
| Doctorate Degree | $105,980 |
Personnel psychologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025