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Personnel specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a personnel specialist. Personnel specialists usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 51% of personnel specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,100 real personnel specialist resumes to see exactly what personnel specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for personnel specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online personnel specialist courses to help get the education required to be a personnel specialist.
There are certain personnel specialist certifications that you should consider. These personnel specialist certifications include Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a personnel specialist?
What degree do you need to be a personnel specialist?
- Bachelor's, 51%
- Associate, 22%
- High School Diploma, 13%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a personnel specialist?
- Business, 35%
- Psychology, 7%
- General Studies, 6%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for personnel specialists
| Personnel specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 21.01% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.25% |
| Ashford University | 6.88% |
| American University | 6.52% |
| Saint Leo University | 5.80% |
Best majors for personnel specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 35.4% |
| 2 | Human Resources Management | 10.4% |
| 3 | Psychology | 7.5% |
| 4 | General Studies | 5.6% |
| 5 | Accounting | 5.2% |
Best colleges for personnel specialists
The best colleges for personnel specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A personnel specialist 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 specialists. 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 specialists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
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. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for personnel specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for personnel specialists
The most affordable schools for personnel specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for personnel specialists 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 specialists.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for personnel specialists
The hardest universities for personnel specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for personnel specialists 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 specialists 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for personnel specialists
The easiest schools for personnel specialists to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and university of north texas at dallas.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a personnel specialist 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 specialists.
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. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average personnel specialist salary by education level
| Personnel specialist education level | Personnel specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $59,660 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $47,762 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $55,022 |
| Doctorate Degree | $63,122 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,889 |
Personnel specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025