Senior advisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior advisor. Senior advisors usually study business, political science, or psychology. 58% of senior advisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 11,459 real senior advisor resumes to see exactly what senior advisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior advisors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online senior advisor courses to help get the education required to be a senior advisor.

There are certain senior advisor certifications that you should consider. These senior advisor certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

What education do you need to become a senior advisor?

What degree do you need to be a senior advisor?

The most common degree for senior advisors is bachelor's degree, with 58% of senior advisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 58%

Master's, 17%

Associate, 13%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a senior advisor?

You should major in business to become a senior advisor. 27% of senior advisors major in business. Other common majors for a senior advisor include political science and psychology.

Business, 27%

Political Science, 7%

Psychology, 6%

Management, 5%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for senior advisors

Senior advisors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, American University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for senior advisors in the US based on their resumes.

Senior advisor common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	16.93%
American University	9.45%
University of Maryland - College Park	7.06%
Texas A&M University - Central Texas	5.92%
Excelsior College	5.82%

Show more common senior advisor colleges

Best majors for senior advisors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	27.3%
2	Political Science	7.4%
3	Psychology	5.8%
4	Management	5.3%
5	Criminal Justice	5.0%

Show more common senior advisor majors

Best colleges for senior advisors

The best colleges for senior advisors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

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

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for senior advisors

Advertising disclosure

1. Strategies for Senior Housing Communities during COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, poses a high risk for senior housing communities and the people who live and work there. The COVID-19 response has largely focused on nursing homes, leaving independent living communities serving older adults in the United States with fragmented guidance on how to respond to COVID-19 challenges. This course provides comprehensive instruction and resources for property owners and managers, senior housing staff, service coordinators and providers,...

2. Engaging in Service Innovation and Management

This course is the continuation of "Introduction to Service Innovation and Management". If you have not yet taken "Introduction to Service Innovation and Management", it is recommended that you complete that course prior to this course. The foundational knowledge and project plan from the introduction are carried through in this deeper dive into service innovation and management. This course will give you tools to examine initial plans for healthcare service/process redesign. You will be...

3. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources

4.4

(1,449)

Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...

4. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

4.3

(312)

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

5. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

4.3

(1,337)

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

6. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

7. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

8. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course

4.3

(1,866)

Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...

9. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

4.3

(5,169)

Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...

10. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

11. Introduction to Human Resource Management

4.7

(2,402)

HRM is an important function of any organization. It includes managing people in a structured and thorough manner...

12. Human Resources For Beginners

4.4

(1,664)

A guide to learning the fundamentals of human resource management...

13. Strategic Planning Skills

4.4

(1,227)

Strategic Planning Skills...

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

4.6

(1,691)

HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...

15. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

4.5

(1,653)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...

16. Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

4.5

(5,746)

This course is an introduction to the role and duties of Human Resources (HR)...

17. Effective Human Resource Administration

4.5

(2,351)

Effective Human Resource Administration...

18. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

4.5

(1,035)

Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

19. Introduction to Human Resource Concepts

4.5

(3,624)

Introduction to Human Resource Concepts...

20. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)

4.5

(10,168)

For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior advisors

The most affordable schools for senior advisors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for senior advisors 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 senior advisors.

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. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior advisors

The hardest universities for senior advisors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

Some great schools for senior advisors 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 senior advisors 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior advisors

The easiest schools for senior advisors to get into are D'Youville College, holy names university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior advisor 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 senior advisors.

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. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average senior advisor salary by education level

Senior advisors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $142,438 annually. With a Master's degree, senior advisors earn a median annual income of $139,958 compared to $126,892 for senior advisors with an Bachelor's degree.

Senior advisor education level	Senior advisor salary
Master's Degree	$139,958
Bachelor's Degree	$126,892
Doctorate Degree	$142,438
Some College/ Associate Degree	$110,020

Senior advisor education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Advisors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for senior advisor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs