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Speaker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a speaker. Speakers usually study business, psychology, or communication. 65% of speakers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,286 real speaker resumes to see exactly what speaker education sections show.
The most common colleges for speakers are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online speaker courses to help get the education required to be a speaker.
What education do you need to become a speaker?
What degree do you need to be a speaker?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 7%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a speaker?
- Business, 15%
- Psychology, 11%
- Communication, 9%
- Nursing, 7%
- Other Majors, 58%
Most common colleges for speakers
| Speaker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 8.41% |
| New York University | 7.52% |
| Ohio State University | 6.19% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.19% |
| Temple University | 5.31% |
Best majors for speakers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 14.6% |
| 2 | Psychology | 10.6% |
| 3 | Communication | 8.9% |
| 4 | Nursing | 7.4% |
| 5 | English | 6.5% |
Best colleges for speakers
The best colleges for speakers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
A speaker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for speakers. 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 speakers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$41,870
Enrollment
8,200
20 best online courses for speakers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for speakers
The most affordable schools for speakers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for speakers 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 speakers.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. Texas A&M International University
Laredo, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$7,176
Cost of attendance
13,914
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for speakers
The hardest universities for speakers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for speakers 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 speakers 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for speakers
The easiest schools for speakers 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 speaker 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 speakers.
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. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton
Dunmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,056
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
10. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
Average speaker salary by education level
| Speaker education level | Speaker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $46,908 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $42,391 |
Speaker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025