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Knowing what level of education to require for a position isn’t as open and shut as most would like. While, generally speaking, more education is better, it also comes with a higher price tag. It can also lead to you ending up with people doing jobs that they’re vastly overqualified for, which is wasteful.
It’s recommended to do some comparison work and research before deciding on what education requirements to list. What the job is and what sort of applicants you’re looking for can have a large impact on what you end up choosing to go with.
Key Takeaways:
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Education levels are typically split into five categories: high school diploma, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate.
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Higher levels of education, or education that is specific to the job, can help reduce training time and weed out less dedicated employees.
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Focusing too heavily on education can be exclusionary, both to those with limited opportunities and to those who majored in a more unusual degree.
How to Determine What Education Level Is Needed for a Job
Education is a complex system with many different tiers. Different jobs require different levels of education to do effectively, but how do you know when getting an education is necessary as opposed to just a nice to have? There are a few ways to try to differentiate, but it isn’t a foolproof system.
The first way is to look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). If you have a particular job you’re hiring for, and you’re unsure how much education to ask for, you can compare. The BLS has numbers on how many employees in different occupations have different education levels.
This is also important in terms of salary. As a rule, the higher level of education a candidate has, the higher the salary they can ask for. It’s a good idea to check the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Survey and the National Compensation Survey from the BLS so that you can know what a competitive salary is for each education level.
What Are the Different Education Levels?
While there is a fairly standard education path that most people take, there are numerous levels and branches of education. Deciding which one you’re looking for for your new hire can be challenging. That being said, the majority of people have either a high school diploma or lower: almost 70%, according to the BLS’s data from 2019. Bachelor’s degrees take up the next most space at 25%, meaning you likely want to ask for one or the other.
Here’s a brief overview of the levels of education.
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No formal education. The BLS defines those who don’t have a high school diploma this way. This doesn’t mean that they’ve never stepped foot inside a school – the majority of them attended high school, but for any number of reasons, didn’t get their diploma. It’s rare to find an opportunity in the United States that doesn’t require at least a GED.
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High school diploma or equivalent. This means that they’ve graduated from high school or gotten their GED. It shows mastery of topics covered in the K–12 curriculum. Most jobs require at least this much education.
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Some college education. Those who are still getting their degree may put this on their resume, or they may have been unable to finish their degree. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have enough credits for a degree, just that they didn’t formally apply for one.
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Associate’s degree. This degree typically takes two years to complete. An associate’s degree requires 60 semester credits or 20 classes. They can be a specific degree tailored to a certain job, such as criminal justice, or just a general studies degree. In most cases, these credits can be transferred toward a bachelor’s degree.
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Bachelor’s degree. A degree of this type is the most common secondary degree by far. They typically take four years to complete and require 120 semester credits, or 40 classes. Bachelor’s degrees tend to be specific, such as for psychology, chemical engineering, or creative writing.
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Master’s degree. This is a postsecondary degree. Unlike associate’s degrees and bachelor’s, master’s degrees vary in length and credits required. They’re usually 30-40 credits, but can be as many as 60. They’re even more specific than a bachelor’s degree, being entirely focused on the subject.
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Doctorate degree. A doctorate is also laser-focused on the subject. As a rule, they require 48 credits to complete, split between courses and thesis work. This level of education is generally only for extremely high-level cerebral jobs and commands a high salary.
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Vocational certificate. Education for a certificate is focused on training for a specific job. It’s a way to gain experience and skill in trade skills, such as preparing to be an automotive technician, hair stylist, paralegal, or truck driver. Many are two years, but they vary depending on the school and job.
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Professional training. It’s also possible to get additional professional training. These can be required for a job or may make an applicant more appealing for a particular job. As a rule, this type of training burnishes skills that a worker always has, or expands upon their expertise.
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Internship or externship. Internships are often done when someone is starting out in a position. That means that they have some work experience right off the bat. Internships are often unpaid and are done to gain college credits. They will have a workload that they’re expected to keep up with.
Externships aren’t paid and also don’t qualify for college credit. As an extern, they would shadow workers so that they can learn how to do essential duties. However, they do show that the candidate has experience in the field and knows what the job entails, even if they haven’t done it themselves.
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Certifications. There are multitudinous certificates that can be attained to show proficiency in one area or another. Some are meaningful while others are less so, which means that you should be sure to research what different certificates entail and which ones are relevant.
Benefits of Including Education Requirements
Having education requirements for a position can have a number of positive effects on the types of applicants you get. For instance, workers who meet the requirements:
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May require less training. As the candidate is already educated in the field – or a similar one – they’ll be more familiar with the concepts. That means that you may need to devote less time and resources to get them up to speed.
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Be more committed to the field. If they’ve chosen to attend college and get a degree in the field, then that shows a level of interest and commitment. They spent a lot of time and effort on their education – they’re going to want to make use of it.
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Help you comply with industry standards. Many industries have requirements as to how much education and training workers in the field must have. If you prioritize those who have higher education, and therefore meet or exceed the requirements, you’ll be much less likely to run afoul of regulations.
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Make clients and customers more confident in your staff. The higher the level of your employees’ achievement, the more confident your customers and clients will be in your service. This is especially true if your clients or customers tend to be more highly educated themselves.
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Show that the employee has ambition. Getting a degree requires dedication, focus, and a time commitment. This is proof that the candidate was able to make a goal and see it through. It also means that they’re willing to put time, money, and effort into bettering themselves.
Drawbacks to Including Education Requirements
While putting education requirements in a job posting may seem like a no-brainer, there are some drawbacks to doing so. A lot of this has to do with expectations and the type of job that you’re hiring for.
Focusing too much on education can lead to:
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Excluding great employees. There are people who are excellent workers and interested in the work but weren’t able to get or finish their degree. Requiring a college education to even apply can exclude them and limit your choices.
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A lack of diversity. Similar people tend to pursue similar degrees. There are various reasons for this, but if you’re looking to diversify your workforce, lowering education requirements or stopping focusing on particular majors can open up opportunities for more people.
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Seeing only a snapshot of a person’s achievements. A person’s education is the only thing they’ve achieved. If a resume is discarded simply because of education, it may overlook other amazing achievements.
It’s also impossible to know from a resume why someone who didn’t finish a degree or did poorly in school. Are they smart, but struggle with academics? Were they ill at the time? Did some other tragedy befall them? Were they focusing on something else, such as vocational education?
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Disregarding the importance of hands-on training. Education is a wonderful tool, but it doesn’t replace on-the-job training. For some jobs, training the person is far more important than education, or lack thereof – and you can end up with someone for a lower salary or that develops strong loyalty to the company due to being given a chance.
Required Education Level FAQ
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What does education level mean?
Typically, it means the highest level of education you have achieved. That means that if you have a high school diploma, an associate’s degree, and a bachelor’s degree, you would only list the bachelor’s – unless the associate’s degree had some sort of special relevance.
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What’s considered the highest level of education?
A doctoral degree is the highest level of education attainable. It requires the most amount of time investment – usually eight years – and does a deep dive into the subject. It requires writing a thesis and, depending on the type of degree, spending time doing research.
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What effect does education level have on wealth?
Education level has a positive effect on wealth. Having a high level of education makes you a more desirable employee and corresponds strongly to a higher salary. Most careers that can be attained with a degree are also more stable and less affected by economic downturns and other factors.
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Are there specific degree requirements for certain jobs?
Yes, certain jobs have very specific degree requirements. This is often the case in high-trust positions, such as doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians. In each of these jobs, a specific education is necessary to perform the job to expectations. In that case, there is often a board that sets these rules and makes sure that they’re enforced.
However, for many jobs, while there’s a standard level of education, it isn’t set in stone. The major that you chose for your degree – unless it’s something specific, like medicine – may or may not end up being directly related to what you end up doing.
Author
Di Doherty
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
