Talent manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a talent manager. Talent managers usually study business, communication, or psychology. 73% of talent managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,694 real talent manager resumes to see exactly what talent manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for talent managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online talent manager courses to help get the education required to be a talent manager.

There are certain talent manager certifications that you should consider. These talent manager certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

What education do you need to become a talent manager?

What degree do you need to be a talent manager?

The most common degree for talent managers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of talent managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 73%

Master's, 11%

Associate, 10%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a talent manager?

You should major in business to become a talent manager. 26% of talent managers major in business. Other common majors for a talent manager include communication and psychology.

Business, 26%

Communication, 13%

Psychology, 10%

Human Resources Management, 10%

Other Majors, 41%

Most common colleges for talent managers

Talent managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for talent managers in the US based on their resumes.

Talent manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	12.42%
Pennsylvania State University	6.83%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.83%
University of Houston	6.83%
University of North Texas	6.21%

Show more common talent manager colleges

Best majors for talent managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.9%
2	Communication	12.5%
3	Psychology	9.7%
4	Human Resources Management	9.6%
5	Marketing	5.3%

Show more common talent manager majors

Best colleges for talent managers

The best colleges for talent managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

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. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for talent managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Managing Talent

In this course, you will learn best practices for selecting, recruiting, and onboarding talent. You will also learn about the key approaches to measuring performance and evaluating your employees. In addition, you will learn how to develop and coach your talent so that they can realize their full potential at work. Altogether, you will gain a thorough understanding of the complete cycle of managing talent and creating a robust talent pipeline for your team and organization. Managing and...

2. Talent Management basics: learn modern Human Resources (HR)

(639)

Learn to attract, Recruit and Retain the best talent. learn modern HR by integrating talent management with business...

3. 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...

4. 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...

5. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

4.3

(312)

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

6. The Complete Recruiting Masterclass - HR Resources - Hiring

4.3

(317)

HR Managers - You Can Hire the Right People - Talent Management Skills for Human Resources Professionals...

7. Talent Development for Leaders: Develop Your High-Potentials

4.5

(5,039)

Become a talent management leader and develop your employees for success!...

8. The Complete Business Process Management (BPM) Master Class

4.2

(860)

12000+ enrollments Learn the Business Process Management methods used by the world's most successful organizations...

9. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems

4.6

(4,741)

Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...

10. Lean BPM - Lean Business Process Management Change Skills

4.5

(553)

Lean BPM - learn how to use lean business management techniques to reduce waste and improve your business efficiency...

11. 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...

12. Customer Success Manager: Fundamentals to your CSM career

4.4

(5,253)

The foundations to become a great Customer Success Manager in a tech company. A very well paid profession on the rise...

13. Operations Management: Facilities Planning and Management

4.4

(357)

Operations Management Training Program (Course 8 of 8)...

14. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management

4.3

(457)

Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...

15. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

4.2

(2,380)

Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

16. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

4.5

(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

17. Performance Management and Compensation Management in HRM

4.4

(276)

Performance Management and Compensation Management Complete Course...

18. 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...

19. The Superboss Playbook for Managers

4.5

(8,396)

Discover how top managers develop high potential talent, lead by teaching, and foster creative, high-performance teams...

20. Stress management for business owners, directors & managers

4.3

(1,033)

Reduce & manage stress at work & in business & build stress resilience, with 50+ practical stress management strategies...

Top 10 most affordable universities for talent managers

The most affordable schools for talent managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for talent managers 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 talent managers.

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for talent managers

The hardest universities for talent managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for talent managers 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 talent managers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for talent managers

The easiest schools for talent managers 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 talent manager 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 talent managers.

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. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average talent manager salary by education level

According to our data, talent managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $139,508 annually. Talent managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $132,344.

Talent manager education level	Talent manager salary
Master's Degree	$132,344
Bachelor's Degree	$114,279
Doctorate Degree	$139,508
Some College/ Associate Degree	$91,359

Talent manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Talent Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

Search for talent manager 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 executive management jobs