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Social Media Specialist Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a social media specialist. Social media specialists usually study communication, business, or marketing. 79% of social media specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 6,539 real social media specialist resumes to see exactly what social media specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for social media specialists are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.
There are also many online social media specialist courses to help get the education required to be a social media specialist.
There are certain social media specialist certifications that you should consider. These social media specialist certifications include Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become a social media specialist?
What degree do you need to be a social media specialist?
- Bachelor's, 79%
- Associate, 9%
- Master's, 7%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a social media specialist?
- Communication, 21%
- Business, 12%
- Marketing, 12%
- Public Relations, 8%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for social media specialists
| Social Media Specialist Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Arizona State University | 7.65% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.78% |
| University of Central Florida | 6.61% |
| Michigan State University | 6.26% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 5.39% |
Best majors for social media specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 21.3% |
| 2 | Business | 12.4% |
| 3 | Marketing | 12.1% |
| 4 | Public Relations | 8.1% |
| 5 | Journalism | 7.4% |
Best colleges for social media specialists
The best colleges for social media specialists are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.
A social media 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 social media 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 social media specialists.
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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
7. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
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. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
20 best online courses for social media specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for social media specialists
The most affordable schools for social media specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for social media 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 social media 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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,942
Cost of Attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Cost of Attendance
18,306
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,992
Cost of Attendance
22,430
10. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,368
Cost of Attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social media specialists
The hardest universities for social media specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for social media 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 social media 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. 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. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,407
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
43%
SAT Average
1,338
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions Rate
42%
SAT Average
1,380
10. Tulane University
New Orleans, LA • Private
Admissions Rate
17%
SAT Average
1,428
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social media specialists
The easiest schools for social media 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 social media 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 social media 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. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
92%
SAT Average
1,031
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions Rate
92%
SAT Average
1,060
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
86%
SAT Average
991
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
81%
SAT Average
999
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions Rate
71%
SAT Average
1,035
Average social media specialist salary by education level
| Social Media Specialist education level | Social Media Specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $54,915 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,996 |
Social Media Specialist Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025