Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Youth worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a youth worker. Youth workers usually study criminal justice, psychology, or social work. 53% of youth workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 10,672 real youth worker resumes to see exactly what youth worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for youth workers are the University of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming.
There are also many online youth worker courses to help get the education required to be a youth worker.
There are certain youth worker certifications that you should consider. These youth worker certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and OSHA Safety Certificate .
What education do you need to become a youth worker?
What degree do you need to be a youth worker?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- High School Diploma, 18%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a youth worker?
- Criminal Justice, 19%
- Psychology, 17%
- Social Work, 10%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for youth workers
| Youth worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Wyoming | 10.66% |
| University of Phoenix | 9.95% |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 8.17% |
| Western Kentucky University | 6.39% |
| Saint Cloud State University | 5.86% |
Best majors for youth workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 19.0% |
| 2 | Psychology | 16.7% |
| 3 | Social Work | 9.6% |
| 4 | Business | 8.3% |
| 5 | Sociology | 5.9% |
Best colleges for youth workers
The best colleges for youth workers are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Johns Hopkins University.
A youth worker 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 workers. 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 workers.
1. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for youth workers
Advertising disclosure
1. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
2. ESG and Social Activism
In this course, you will get an overview of the impact of contemporary ESG ratings and how a company balances ESG issues against its financial performance. You will evaluate the effectiveness of corporate authenticity and the impacts of politics when building corporate ESG policy. You will also learn about social activism’s ability to disrupt markets, and the roles that stakeholders play when dealing with financial markets. Next, you will learn about corporate Boards, and the importance of...
3. Conflict Resolution for Co-Workers
You'll learn diagnosis and resolution techniques for tense, sensitive conflicts with your co-workers, manager or peers...
4. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
5. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...
6. Active Directory on Windows Server
Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...
7. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
8. Azure Active Directory Masterclass
Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...
9. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
10. Mastering Planning Vol 1: Hourly and Daily Planning
Learn the system for planning on an hourly and daily scale and the PAMe La (Plan, Act, Measure, Learn) Planning System...
11. Introduction to Solution Focused Therapy
Learn Solution Focused Therapy To Empower Clients & Improve Outcomes Ideal For Social Workers, Coaches & Therapists...
12. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators
Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...
13. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): The Complete Course
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)...
14. [Accredited] Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Counselor
Learn DBT in depth, start conducting sessions with ready to use templates, and set up counseling practice within weeks!...
15. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services
Learn how Azure Active Directory, On-Premises Active directory and Azure AD Domain Services (AADDS) integrate together...
16. Active Directory & Group Policy Lab
Learn REAL job skills and stack your resume with the experience you will gain in this course!...
17. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT Life Coaching Certification
CBT: Emotional intelligence transform your life - stop self-sabotage while earning your life coaching credentials...
18. Mastering Group Policy on Windows Server
An IT person's guide to managing Active Directory Users and Computers with Group Policy...
19. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
20. Azure - Active Directory
Learn Azure as it pertains to Active Directory...
Top 10 most affordable universities for youth workers
The most affordable schools for youth workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for youth workers 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 workers.
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for youth workers
The hardest universities for youth workers to get into are Northwestern University, Boston College, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for youth workers 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 workers 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. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for youth workers
The easiest schools for youth workers to get into are Nyack College, mount saint mary's university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a youth worker 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 workers.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
7. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
Average youth worker salary by education level
| Youth worker education level | Youth worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $36,645 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $31,478 |
Youth worker education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
Search for youth worker jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025