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Publication specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a publication specialist. Publication specialists usually study communication, english, or business. 70% of publication specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,186 real publication specialist resumes to see exactly what publication specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for publication specialists are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.

There are also many online publication specialist courses to help get the education required to be a publication specialist.

There are certain publication specialist certifications that you should consider. These publication specialist certifications include Certified Technical Professional (CTP) and Adobe Digital Publishing.

What education do you need to become a publication specialist?

What degree do you need to be a publication specialist?

The most common degree for publication specialists is bachelor's degree, with 70% of publication specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Master's, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a publication specialist?

You should major in communication to become a publication specialist. 14% of publication specialists major in communication. Other common majors for a publication specialist include english and business.

Most common colleges for publication specialists

Publication specialists often get their degrees at Florida State University, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Washington. Here are the most common colleges for publication specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Publication specialist common collegePercentages
Florida State University10.24%
University of Maryland - College Park6.30%
University of Washington6.30%
Brigham Young University5.51%
Arizona State University5.51%

Best majors for publication specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication13.7%
2English13.5%
3Business12.4%
4Journalism10.2%
5Graphic Design8.5%

Best colleges for publication specialists

The best colleges for publication specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

A publication 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 publication 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 publication specialists.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$41,870

Enrollment

8,200

20 best online courses for publication specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for publication specialists

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

If the best universities for publication 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 publication 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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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 State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for publication specialists

The hardest universities for publication specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for publication 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 publication 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

7. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for publication specialists

The easiest schools for publication specialists 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 publication 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 publication specialists.

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. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

8. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average publication specialist salary by education level

According to our data, publication specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,852 annually. Publication specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $56,201.
Publication specialist education levelPublication specialist salary
Master's Degree$60,852
Bachelor's Degree$56,201

Publication specialist 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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