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Youth development professional education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a youth development professional. Youth development professionals usually study psychology, business, or criminal justice. 63% of youth development professionals hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,715 real youth development professional resumes to see exactly what youth development professional education sections show.
The most common colleges for youth development professionals are the California State University - San Bernardino and the California State University - San Bernardino.
There are also many online youth development professional courses to help get the education required to be a youth development professional.
There are certain youth development professional certifications that you should consider. These youth development professional certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and OSHA Safety Certificate .
What education do you need to become a youth development professional?
What degree do you need to be a youth development professional?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 12%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a youth development professional?
- Psychology, 16%
- Business, 14%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Education, 5%
- Other Majors, 56%
Most common colleges for youth development professionals
| Youth development professional common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| California State University - San Bernardino | 7.69% |
| University of Phoenix | 7.69% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.69% |
| Western Michigan University | 6.35% |
| New York University | 5.69% |
Best majors for youth development professionals
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 15.7% |
| 2 | Business | 14.1% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 8.8% |
| 4 | Education | 5.3% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 5.1% |
Best colleges for youth development professionals
The best colleges for youth development professionals are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.
A youth development professional with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for youth development professionals. 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 youth development professionals.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for youth development professionals
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Top 10 most affordable universities for youth development professionals
The most affordable schools for youth development professionals 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 youth development professionals 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 youth development professionals.
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
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. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for youth development professionals
The hardest universities for youth development professionals to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.
Some great schools for youth development professionals 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 youth development professionals 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. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for youth development professionals
The easiest schools for youth development professionals to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a youth development professional 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 youth development professionals.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
5. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
Average youth development professional salary by education level
| Youth development professional education level | Youth development professional salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,769 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $40,425 |
Youth development professional education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025