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Union steward education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a union steward. Union stewards usually study business, accounting, or criminal justice. 43% of union stewards hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 592 real union steward resumes to see exactly what union steward education sections show.

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

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

What education do you need to become a union steward?

What degree do you need to be a union steward?

The most common degree for union stewards is bachelor's degree, with 43% of union stewards earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 21% and associate degree degree at 17%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Associate, 21%
  • High School Diploma, 17%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a union steward?

You should major in business to become a union steward. 29% of union stewards major in business. Other common majors for a union steward include accounting and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for union stewards

Union stewards often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Baker College, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Here are the most common colleges for union stewards in the US based on their resumes.
Union steward common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix15.00%
Baker College10.00%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale6.67%
DeVry University6.67%
University of Connecticut5.00%

Best majors for union stewards

Best colleges for union stewards

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

A union steward 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 stewards. 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 stewards.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

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. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for union stewards

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

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4
(619)

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

5. An Introduction to American Law

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This course will give you a glimpse into six different areas of American law: Tort Law, Contract Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure. You will gain insight into the complexities and dilemmas that arise from the application of law in different settings, and what is distinctive about American approaches...

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

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4.6
(396)

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

7. 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...

8. Contract Management: Managing Contractual Risks

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

9. Learning Business Contracts for Beginners

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4.5
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An Introductory Guide to Drafting Winning Contracts, Negotiating Well, and Getting What You Want...

10. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

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4.3
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Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

11. English for Business and Law - Contract Law

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4.5
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An English language course for business and law...

12. A Practical Approach to FIDIC Contracts

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4.4
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The interactive course is based on the FIDIC Approved Module 1 Workshop and introduces the FIDIC Suite of Contracts...

13. Complete Contract Management Bootcamp: Zero to Hero

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4.4
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Learn essential post-contract management principles and practices, and gain access to over 30 free MS tools...

14. Learn Federal Government Contracting From An Expert

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4
(443)

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

15. 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...

16. Conflict Resolution for Co-Workers

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4.4
(266)

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

17. Employment Law Compliance Made Easy

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4.7
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A comprehensive course for management to understand key employment law issues in the workplace...

18. Wholesale Real Estate Contracts: Flip Houses Risk Free

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4.5
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Download A Full Package Of Strategically Developed Real Estate Contracts And Learn How To Leverage Them In Your Business...

19. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)

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4.5
(2,583)

Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...

20. Company Law: A Comprehensive Summary

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4.6
(250)

An in-depth summary of Company Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations...

Top 10 most affordable universities for union stewards

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

If the best universities for union stewards 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 stewards.

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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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 International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for union stewards

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

Some great schools for union stewards 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 stewards 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

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

The easiest schools for union stewards to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and university of north texas at dallas.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

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. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average union steward salary by education level

Union stewards with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $81,373 annually. With a Master's degree, union stewards earn a median annual income of $75,420 compared to $67,631 for union stewards with an Bachelor's degree.
Union steward education levelUnion steward salary
Master's Degree$75,420
High School Diploma or Less$55,894
Bachelor's Degree$67,631
Doctorate Degree$81,373
Some College/ Associate Degree$56,095

Union steward 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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