Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Student development specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a student development specialist. Student development specialists usually study psychology, business, or communication. 67% of student development specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 519 real student development specialist resumes to see exactly what student development specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for student development specialists are the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Austin.
There are also many online student development specialist courses to help get the education required to be a student development specialist.
What education do you need to become a student development specialist?
What degree do you need to be a student development specialist?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a student development specialist?
- Psychology, 15%
- Business, 13%
- Communication, 9%
- Sociology, 6%
- Other Majors, 57%
Most common colleges for student development specialists
| Student development specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | 10.58% |
| Texas A&M University San Antonio | 9.62% |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | 7.69% |
| American InterContinental University | 7.69% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.73% |
Best majors for student development specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 15.2% |
| 2 | Business | 13.1% |
| 3 | Communication | 9.4% |
| 4 | Sociology | 6.1% |
| 5 | English | 5.7% |
Best colleges for student development specialists
The best colleges for student development specialists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A student development 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 student development 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 student development specialists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
20 best online courses for student development specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Enhance Student Learning through Kahoot
By the end of this project, you will have created a Kahoot collection that will engage your students during virtual learning or as a more engaging way to encourage practice and review at home or in the classroom. Teaching is constantly evolving. As we learn more about our students, we uncover new ways to ensure that they are not just learning - they are thriving. When we can connect our tech-savvy students to tech-connected learning, our students are more likely to enjoy learning. We can also...
2. Creating a Student Profile in Google Docs
By the end of this project, you will have created a Student Profile in Google Docs that will allow you identify student needs and differentiate instruction. We will work together to learn how to use Google Docs as we create a Student Profile template and complete it for a particular student you have in mind. You will be provided with additional resources that will help improve your teaching practice through identification of students needs and ensuring that the appropriate accommodations are...
3. Public Speaking for College Students: Become a Great Speaker
Public speaking may be the single most important skill for long-term success and you are unlikely to learn it in college...
4. Law: A Comprehensive Summary for LLB Students
An essential 24 hours of Video Lectures, Spider Graphs and Case Summaries made to guide LLB students preparing for exams...
5. Unleash Student Creativity with Buncee
By the end of this project, you will be able to use Buncee to unleash your students’ creativity. Buncee is “a creation and communication tool… to create interactive content, allowing those of all ages to visualize concepts and communicate creatively.” With Buncee, learning becomes more personalized as students are able to share through engaging multimedia projects using Buncee’s templates, stickers, and animations. Throughout this project, we will work together to ensure that you are confident...
6. A Law Student's Toolkit
Whether you are an advanced law student looking to review the basics, or an aspiring law student looking for head start, this course will help you build the foundation you will need to succeed in law school and beyond. This course will introduce you to terminology, concepts, and tools lawyers and legal academics use to make their arguments. It will help you follow these arguments—and make arguments of your own. This course consists of a series of short lectures and assignments. A reading list...
7. Thermodynamics for Engineering Students
A Detailed Introduction to Thermodynamics...
8. Productivity for Students: Study Smarter, Not Harder
Powerful learning strategies to increase your personal productivity: Studying SMART with Project Elon founder Mike Elon...
9. Using Google Forms for Student Success
By the end of this project, you have used Google Forms to create several tools to use with your students and parents in order to ensure a successful school year. With volunteer sign-up forms, you can simplify your volunteer process within your classroom and across the school. Through exit tickets and assessments, you will be able to check your student’s understanding of the content taught that day or during a unit so that you can adjust instruction to address misunderstandings or gather...
10. Encouraging Student Collaboration with Padlet
By the end of this project, you be able to use Padlet to create a collaborative classroom fostering interactive student engagements, creating virtual lessons, and more. With Padlet, teachers and students can collaborate in real time on lessons, projects, and anything else you can imagine. Together, we will learn how to use Padlet to connect with students during virtual learning, for in class collaboration, and discover ways to improve our ability to differentiate instruction using Padlet. The...
11. Cisco Troubleshooting Labs For CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE Students
TSHOOT Labs in Routing, Switching, BGP, IPv6, IP Services, MPLS, and Security for CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE Students...
12. Research Methods For Business Students
A-Z guide to writing a rockstar Research Paper with a bulletproof Research Methodology!...
13. Increase Student Buy in with Google Slides
By the end of this project, you will have created a student punchcard that will engage your students during virtual learning or as a more engaging way to encourage buy in during classroom learning. Teaching is constantly evolving. As we learn more about our students, we uncover new ways to ensure that they are not just learning - they are thriving. Using a punchcard will not only provide your students with more choice and independence, it will also provide your classroom with the procedures and...
14. Student Self-Assessment with Microsoft Word
By the end of this project, you will have created a self-report card and a behaviour reflection form for student self-reflection. You will also be equipped with suggestions for how to use these documents with students. Encouraging our students to reflect on their learning is one of many goals we have as teachers. One valuable way to do this is by allowing our students to share their perspective on the school year. What areas are going well for them? What areas do they see where they could grow?...
15. The Complete Android Developer Course: Beginner To Advanced!
In this complete course students will learn how to build and develop Android Applications for smartphone and beyond...
16. Engage and Assess Students with Quizizz
By the end of this project, you will be ready to use Quizizz with your students to create gamified quizzes, polls, and lessons. Whether you are teaching online or in the classroom, Quizizz allows you to gather valuable assessment data while your students are actively engaged in a friendly competitive game. Throughout each task, we will set up your Quizizz account and learn how to create your own quizzes as well as use the reporting feature to see how your students are progressing. Engage your...
17. Create a Record of Students using Arrays in Java
This project provides a step-by-step approach in instruction and will equip you with fundamental concepts of creating arrays and array lists in Java programming, from the ground up. Using jGRASP development environment, you will create a Java project that records and processes students’ data. The data includes name, mode of study, and marks. Using this data, you will output the student details, compute the total marks per student, determine the average mark, and the highest mark for the class...
18. Preparing for Graduate Study in the U.S.: A course for international students
Preparing for graduate school in the United States can be nerve-wracking. Many international students have questions about what the programs are like and what resources they can use to excel in their studies. This course allows potential and incoming international students to practice their communication skills, identify tools that support academic success, and gain confidence as they prepare for their advanced degrees. Alongside advancing your English skills, get the chance to hear from...
19. Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction to Student Assessment
The Foundations of Teaching for Learning programme is for anyone who is teaching, or who would like to teach, in any subject and any context - be it at school, at home or in the workplace. With dynamic lessons taught by established and respected professionals from across the Commonwealth, this eight course programme will see you develop and strengthen your skills in teaching, professionalism, assessment, and more. As you carry on through the programme, you will find yourself strengthening not...
20. Canva for college students
In this project the learner will learn how to use Canva for their college journey. Canva is an online graphic design program that allows you to create and design all types of documents, graphic design compositions and more. Canva is a great option for those looking for a user-friendly and easy-to-use platform to create attractive designs for their resumes. Canva has many elements that are free and it gives you a lot of freedom when designing. In addition to this, Canva has paid content that...
Top 10 most affordable universities for student development specialists
The most affordable schools for student development specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for student development 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 student development 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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student development specialists
The hardest universities for student development specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for student development 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 student development 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for student development specialists
The easiest schools for student development specialists to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a student development 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 student development 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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average student development specialist salary by education level
| Student development specialist education level | Student development specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,653 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $38,516 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,197 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $40,362 |
Student development specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
Search for student development specialist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025