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Professional organizer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a professional organizer. Professional organizers usually study business, psychology, or communication. 65% of professional organizers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,036 real professional organizer resumes to see exactly what professional organizer education sections show.

The most common colleges for professional organizers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online professional organizer courses to help get the education required to be a professional organizer.

What education do you need to become a professional organizer?

What degree do you need to be a professional organizer?

The most common degree for professional organizers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of professional organizers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Master's, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a professional organizer?

You should major in business to become a professional organizer. 24% of professional organizers major in business. Other common majors for a professional organizer include psychology and communication.

Most common colleges for professional organizers

Professional organizers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of North Texas, and University of Iowa. Here are the most common colleges for professional organizers in the US based on their resumes.
Professional organizer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix12.15%
University of North Texas9.35%
University of Iowa6.54%
University of California - Davis5.61%
Michigan State University4.67%

Best majors for professional organizers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business23.6%
2Psychology9.9%
3Communication7.1%
4Management5.8%
5Nursing5.4%

Best colleges for professional organizers

The best colleges for professional organizers are Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

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

1. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

20 best online courses for professional organizers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for professional organizers

The most affordable schools for professional organizers are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - fullerton, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for professional organizers 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 professional organizers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,922

Cost of attendance

18,522

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for professional organizers

The hardest universities for professional organizers to get into are Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for professional organizers 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 professional organizers 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for professional organizers

The easiest schools for professional organizers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and bluefield college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a professional organizer 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 professional organizers.

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. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average professional organizer salary by education level

According to our data, professional organizers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $53,640 annually. Professional organizers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $45,123.
Professional organizer education levelProfessional organizer salary
Master's Degree$53,640
High School Diploma or Less$37,309
Bachelor's Degree$45,123
Some College/ Associate Degree$39,381

Professional organizer 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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