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Union representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a union representative. Union representatives usually study business, criminal justice, or elementary education. 48% of union representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 636 real union representative resumes to see exactly what union representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for union representatives are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online union representative courses to help get the education required to be a union representative.

What education do you need to become a union representative?

What degree do you need to be a union representative?

The most common degree for union representatives is bachelor's degree, with 48% of union representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 48%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Master's, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 12%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a union representative?

You should major in business to become a union representative. 20% of union representatives major in business. Other common majors for a union representative include criminal justice and elementary education.

Most common colleges for union representatives

Union representatives often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Eastern Michigan University, and Marygrove College. Here are the most common colleges for union representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Union representative common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.84%
Eastern Michigan University6.56%
Marygrove College6.56%
Lehigh University6.56%
San Diego State University6.56%

Best majors for union representatives

Best colleges for union representatives

The best colleges for union representatives are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$52,687

Enrollment

9,392

5. Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$41,870

Enrollment

8,200

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$8,958

Enrollment

2,486

20 best online courses for union representatives

Advertising disclosure

1. American Contract Law II

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Course description: Contracts I & II provides a comprehensive overview of contract law in the United States. The course covers most of the key concepts found in a first year law school class. Each lecture is based on one or more common-law cases, integrating legal doctrines with policy discussions. The course also covers key sections from the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs the sale of goods. By the end of the course, the learner should be able to understand: Formation defenses:...

2. European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals

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The European Union is one of the world’s largest and most important economies. This six week course is the first in a series of three that will provide students with an insight into European Business Law. The series ranges from considering the basic structures and principles of the European Union to focusing on various specialized areas of law. Each course will give the students an understanding of the laws and policies that regulate the internal market of European Union, as well as relevant...

3. Labor Relations for Human Resources

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4.4
(846)

Understand the basics of the collective bargaining agreement process...

4. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

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4.3
(312)

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

5. Contract Management: Managing Contractual Risks

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4.2
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How to identify and deal with contract risks...

6. Introduction to Contract Management

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4.4
(1,511)

Understand what is involved in the contract management process and put this knowledge to work with confidence...

7. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

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4.3
(730)

Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

8. Law of Contracts in 60 Minutes: A Fast Track Course

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A 60 minute fast track summary of the Law of Contracts, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...

9. Complete Contract Management Bootcamp: Zero to Hero

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Learn essential post-contract management principles and practices, and gain access to over 30 free MS tools...

10. Conflict Resolution for Co-Workers

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You'll learn diagnosis and resolution techniques for tense, sensitive conflicts with your co-workers, manager or peers...

11. Learning Business Contracts for Beginners

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An Introductory Guide to Drafting Winning Contracts, Negotiating Well, and Getting What You Want...

12. The complete course on the Indian Contract Act, 1872

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Law of Contract in India as under Indian Contract Act, 1872...

13. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

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Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...

14. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

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15. A Practical Approach to FIDIC Contracts

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The interactive course is based on the FIDIC Approved Module 1 Workshop and introduces the FIDIC Suite of Contracts...

16. Learn Federal Government Contracting From An Expert

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A comprehensive guide to Register, Search Opportunities, GSA, Certifications, Accounting, Marketing& Bidding to the feds...

17. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed

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HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...

18. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

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Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

19. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course

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Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...

20. Human Resources (HR) Training for Entry Level Professionals

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How To Get Your First Job As An HR Assistant...

Top 10 most affordable universities for union representatives

The most affordable schools for union representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for union representatives 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 union representatives.

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for union representatives

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

Some great schools for union representatives 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 union representatives 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for union representatives

The easiest schools for union representatives to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, gwynedd mercy university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a union representative 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 union representatives.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average union representative salary by education level

According to our data, union representatives with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $74,292 annually. Union representatives with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $68,531.
Union representative education levelUnion representative salary
Master's Degree$68,531
High School Diploma or Less$51,115
Bachelor's Degree$61,587
Doctorate Degree$74,292
Some College/ Associate Degree$51,261

Union representative 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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