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Resource paraprofessional education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a resource paraprofessional. Resource paraprofessionals usually study elementary education, business, or english. 70% of resource paraprofessionals hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 103 real resource paraprofessional resumes to see exactly what resource paraprofessional education sections show.

The most common colleges for resource paraprofessionals are the Central Michigan University and the Central Michigan University.

There are also many online resource paraprofessional courses to help get the education required to be a resource paraprofessional.

What education do you need to become a resource paraprofessional?

What degree do you need to be a resource paraprofessional?

The most common degree for resource paraprofessionals is bachelor's degree, with 70% of resource paraprofessionals earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Associate, 13%
  • High School Diploma, 8%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a resource paraprofessional?

You should major in elementary education to become a resource paraprofessional. 15% of resource paraprofessionals major in elementary education. Other common majors for a resource paraprofessional include business and english.

Most common colleges for resource paraprofessionals

Resource paraprofessionals often get their degrees at Central Michigan University, Hampden-Sydney College, and University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Here are the most common colleges for resource paraprofessionals in the US based on their resumes.
Resource paraprofessional common collegePercentages
Central Michigan University8.70%
Hampden-Sydney College8.70%
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities8.70%
Assumption College4.35%
Washburn University of Topeka4.35%

Best majors for resource paraprofessionals

RankMajorPercentages
1Elementary Education15.3%
2Business10.2%
3English10.2%
4Education6.8%
5Criminal Justice6.8%

Best colleges for resource paraprofessionals

The best colleges for resource paraprofessionals are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

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

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

20 best online courses for resource paraprofessionals

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1. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher

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Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...

2. Music Education for Teachers

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In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

3. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance

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4. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

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Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...

5. Climate change education

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This specialization offers tools and resources developed as part of the "Rise up" initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to combat climate change and improve the sustainability of the planet. Through the three courses that make up this specialization, you will learn what we can do individually, as a school, and as a community to lead a more sustainable and healthier life. You'll also delve into the primary ethical and social issues related to climate change, how to use games to...

6. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education

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PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers. In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET to create sim-based...

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9. Critical Issues in Urban Education

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Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...

10. Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom

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Welcome to Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you effectively assess student performance virtually, including compliance issues, feedback models, online grade book functions, and data analysis. We will discuss why effective measures of performance and assessment are a crucial component of any virtual program, and the importance of teachers and administrators understanding both the myths and challenges of assessing performance virtually, administering...

11. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed

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12. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

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Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...

13. ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum

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Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow. Learning Outcomes: to be aware of the range of reasons for using ICT to...

14. Teaching Impacts of Technology in K-12 Education

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2% That’s the estimate of how many high school students in all of California took a Computer Science class in 2015. And yet, computers and data are everywhere. Just consider a typical 24 hours in your life … how many different computer devices do you use? We all live in multiple digital worlds that are changing rapidly with new apps, devices, and data analyses offering a constant stream of innovations and technology integrations for our lives.\n\nAs it's an integral part of our lives, we’re...

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17. Complete Google Classroom Course: Teaching Google Classroom

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Mastering the Art of Teaching with Google Classroom - Teaching Online with Google Classroom - Google Certified Educator...

18. Change Management 101 for Human Resources

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19. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

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Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...

20. Effective Human Resource Administration

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Top 10 most affordable universities for resource paraprofessionals

The most affordable schools for resource paraprofessionals are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for resource paraprofessionals 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 resource paraprofessionals.

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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

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 resource paraprofessionals

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

Some great schools for resource paraprofessionals 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 resource paraprofessionals 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for resource paraprofessionals

The easiest schools for resource paraprofessionals to get into are D'Youville College, holy names university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a resource paraprofessional 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 resource paraprofessionals.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

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. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average resource paraprofessional salary by education level

According to our data, resource paraprofessionals with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $34,807 annually. Resource paraprofessionals with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $34,296.
Resource paraprofessional education levelResource paraprofessional salary
Master's Degree$34,296
High School Diploma or Less$31,607
Bachelor's Degree$32,479
Doctorate Degree$34,807
Some College/ Associate Degree$31,878

Resource paraprofessional 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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