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Residential program worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a residential program worker. Residential program workers usually study psychology, criminal justice, or business. 42% of residential program workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 2,824 real residential program worker resumes to see exactly what residential program worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for residential program workers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online residential program worker courses to help get the education required to be a residential program worker.
There are certain residential program worker certifications that you should consider. These residential program worker certifications include Medical G.A.S. Installer (Med) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.
What education do you need to become a residential program worker?
What degree do you need to be a residential program worker?
- Bachelor's, 42%
- High School Diploma, 22%
- Associate, 20%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a residential program worker?
- Psychology, 17%
- Criminal Justice, 11%
- Business, 10%
- Nursing, 9%
- Other Majors, 53%
Most common colleges for residential program workers
| Residential program worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 15.36% |
| Youngstown State University | 9.22% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.83% |
| University of Cincinnati | 5.46% |
| University of Toledo | 5.12% |
Best majors for residential program workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 16.8% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 11.2% |
| 3 | Business | 10.2% |
| 4 | Nursing | 8.9% |
| 5 | Social Work | 6.7% |
Best colleges for residential program workers
The best colleges for residential program workers are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.
A residential program worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for residential program workers. 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 residential program workers.
1. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
2. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
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 residential program workers
Advertising disclosure
1. Community Awareness Course: Sexuality and Disability
This community awareness course from the University of Minnesota Program on Human Sexuality will provide you with a solid introduction to human sexuality for those living with disabilities. Often there are assumptions that the disabled or differently abled people are not sexual, do not have sexual needs, or cannot be involved sexually. In this professionally produced one-hour course, you'll learn about the basics of disabilities and human sexuality. We'll then learn about three different...
2. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...
3. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators
Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...
4. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...
5. Fundamentals for Implementing a Hypertension Program
This course provides the fundamental knowledge necessary for program managers and implementors in a hypertension control program, especially in resource-limited settings. The course is interactive and includes useful tips relevant to different settings. The course should be also relevant to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, community health workers, and others who are interested in learning about hypertension diagnosis and management...
6. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
7. Conflict Resolution for Co-Workers
You'll learn diagnosis and resolution techniques for tense, sensitive conflicts with your co-workers, manager or peers...
8. SAP Activate Project Manager Masterclass (C_ACTIVATE_22/13)
Learn SAP Activate Methodology (Act100) Learn Agile Methodology (Act200) Based on Activate 22 and Activate 13...
9. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
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This course provides an introduction to designing and evaluating to strengthen the health system. After successful completion of all learning activities, course participants will be able to: 1. Define health systems strengthening 2. Describe health systems frameworks and how to incorporate them into evaluation planning 3. Describe how to design and prioritize implementation of health systems programs 4. Detail approaches to evaluate health systems programs, including data sources and study...
11. Azure Active Directory Masterclass
Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...
12. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell
[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...
13. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...
14. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
15. Active Directory on Windows Server
Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...
16. Mental Health First Aid Skills -
This course is designed to provide the tools and knowledge for learners to help and support those experiencing MH issues...
17. Cat Behavior Rectification & Cat Health Care: 2 courses in 1
1. Common Cat Behavior Issues and training methods to rectify them 2. Tips for better healthcare of your cat...
18. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
19. Active Listening: A Practical Guide to Be an Active Listener
Become a Specialist Active Listener and Harness Your Charisma to Increase Your Impact Influence and Income Earn PDUs...
20. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs
Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....
Top 10 most affordable universities for residential program workers
The most affordable schools for residential program workers are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for residential program workers 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 residential program workers.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for residential program workers
The hardest universities for residential program workers to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for residential program workers 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 residential program workers 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for residential program workers
The easiest schools for residential program workers to get into are Bluefield College, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a residential program worker 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 residential program workers.
1. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
8. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average residential program worker salary by education level
| Residential program worker education level | Residential program worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $33,873 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $27,264 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $30,890 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $27,450 |
Residential program worker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025