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Treatment specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a treatment specialist. Treatment specialists usually study psychology, criminal justice, or social work. 61% of treatment specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,248 real treatment specialist resumes to see exactly what treatment specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for treatment specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain treatment specialist certifications that you should consider. These treatment specialist certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW).

What education do you need to become a treatment specialist?

What degree do you need to be a treatment specialist?

The most common degree for treatment specialists is bachelor's degree, with 61% of treatment specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a treatment specialist?

You should major in psychology to become a treatment specialist. 24% of treatment specialists major in psychology. Other common majors for a treatment specialist include criminal justice and social work.

Most common colleges for treatment specialists

Treatment specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Saginaw Valley State University, and Grand Valley State University. Here are the most common colleges for treatment specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Treatment specialist common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.53%
Saginaw Valley State University10.19%
Grand Valley State University6.96%
Cleveland State University6.96%
Illinois State University5.77%

Best majors for treatment specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology23.6%
2Criminal Justice19.1%
3Social Work12.8%
4Sociology6.8%
5Business5.4%

Best colleges for treatment specialists

The best colleges for treatment specialists are Washington University in St Louis, Boston University, and Boston College.

A treatment 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 treatment 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 treatment specialists.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for treatment specialists

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5. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

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Top 10 most affordable universities for treatment specialists

The most affordable schools for treatment specialists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for treatment 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 treatment specialists.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for treatment specialists

The hardest universities for treatment specialists to get into are Washington University in St Louis, Boston University, and Boston College.

Some great schools for treatment 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 treatment 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. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for treatment specialists

The easiest schools for treatment specialists to get into are Kean University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.

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

1. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

Average treatment specialist salary by education level

According to our data, treatment specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,503 annually. Treatment specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $54,690.
Treatment specialist education levelTreatment specialist salary
Master's Degree$60,503
Bachelor's Degree$54,690

Treatment specialist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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