Social security specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a social security specialist. Social security specialists usually study social work, business, or psychology. 53% of social security specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 421 real social security specialist resumes to see exactly what social security specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for social security specialists are the Wichita State University and the Wichita State University.

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

What education do you need to become a social security specialist?

What degree do you need to be a social security specialist?

The most common degree for social security specialists is bachelor's degree, with 53% of social security specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 53%

Master's, 22%

Associate, 11%

High School Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a social security specialist?

You should major in social work to become a social security specialist. 41% of social security specialists major in social work. Other common majors for a social security specialist include business and psychology.

Social Work, 41%

Business, 9%

Psychology, 9%

Criminal Justice, 5%

Other Majors, 36%

Most common colleges for social security specialists

Social security specialists often get their degrees at Wichita State University, University of Kansas, and Washburn University of Topeka. Here are the most common colleges for social security specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Social security specialist common college	Percentages
Wichita State University	11.36%
University of Kansas	11.36%
Washburn University of Topeka	10.23%
Kansas State University	10.23%
Pittsburg State University	9.09%

Show more common social security specialist colleges

Best majors for social security specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Social Work	40.8%
2	Business	9.2%
3	Psychology	8.7%
4	Criminal Justice	5.0%
5	Elementary Education	3.7%

Show more common social security specialist majors

Best colleges for social security specialists

The best colleges for social security specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

A social security 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 security 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 security specialists.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for social security specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. 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...

2. Social Computing

People are social creatures and the modern Internet reflects that. Technology has made collaboration at a distance possible in new ways that present their own set of challenges. This course will introduce you to the major challenges and opportunities for creating online communities. What does the future hold? Learn how social computing can create collaboration experiences that go beyond what’s possible face to face...

3. Social Media Monitoring and Privacy Law

4.4

(376)

Learn to monitor social networks without violating privacy rights in this course on lawful social media surveillance...

4. Introduction to Cyber Security - 2 Hour Crash Course

4.5

(6,290)

Learn key Cyber Security concepts to build a comprehensive plan, including Firewall, DDo S, Social Engineering, and more!...

5. The Communication Skills and Social Intelligence Masterclass

4.6

(1,185)

An essential guide to cultivating influential people skills, communication skills and street-smart social intelligence...

6. Social Media Monitoring

4.2

(828)

Our new course on Social Media Monitoring in a post Google Reader World is coming soon...

7. Social Media Crisis Prevention

4.2

(277)

Get practical skills to protect your reputation and your organization against a social media meltdown...

8. The Beginners 2023 Cyber Security Awareness Training Course

4.6

(18,741)

Learn to Spot Targeted Email Phishing, Social Engineering Attacks, Hacker Tactics, Browser & Mobile Threats & Much More...

9. Communication & Social Skills

4.5

(34,942)

Learn to become more confident and effective when speaking, listening, or writing...

10. The Complete Social Engineering, Phishing, OSINT & Malware

4.4

(5,938)

Learn how hackers hack Windows, Linux & Android by using Social Engineering and protect yourself from phishing attacks...

11. Social Media for Healthcare Providers

4.4

(663)

Social media and HIPPA compliance training for covered entities that transmit health information...

12. Learn Hacking Using Social Engineering

4.4

(516)

Learn Social Engineering Techniques and How to Prevent an Attack...

13. Cyber Security: Awareness For Everyone (2023)

4.6

(343)

Cyber Security First Steps: Privacy, Phishing, Social Engineering, Malware, Email Security, and Hackers...

14. Develop Amazing Social Skills & Connect With People

4.5

(6,517)

Develop Amazing Social Skills, Social Confidence, Communication Skills, Self Esteem, Charisma, Self confidence...

15. Learn Social Engineering & Open-source Intelligence (OSINT)

4.7

(657)

IT security is not just about firewalls or antiviruses, it is also about people...

16. Learn Social Engineering From Scratch

4.5

(5,471)

Learn how to hack accounts & personal devices (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux & Android) & how to secure yourself from hackers...

17. Social Media Ethics

4.3

(1,564)

Just because you can tweet it, doesn't mean you should. Learn to do the right thing on social media...

18. SAP Security Administration

4.6

(2,133)

SAP Security and Auditing...

19. IT Security 101 - Cyber Security for Beginners

4.2

(390)

Learn cyber security best practice tips on securing computer networks from internal & external IT cyber security threats...

20. Learn Social Psychology

4.4

(4,330)

Understand How People Think, Feel, and Behave in this Complete Introduction to Social Psychology...

Top 10 most affordable universities for social security specialists

The most affordable schools for social security specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - fullerton, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for social security 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 security specialists.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,922

Cost of attendance

18,522

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social security specialists

The hardest universities for social security specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

Some great schools for social security 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 security 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,307

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social security specialists

The easiest schools for social security specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social security 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 security specialists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average social security specialist salary by education level

According to our data, social security specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $55,940 annually. Social security specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $50,353.

Social security specialist education level	Social security specialist salary
Master's Degree	$55,940
High School Diploma or Less	$44,850
Bachelor's Degree	$50,353
Some College/ Associate Degree	$46,350

Social security specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Social Security Specialists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for social security specialist 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 community and social services jobs