California Removes Degree Requirements for Thousands of State Jobs

As part of what his administration describes as an effort to modernize state government and improve the hiring process for public service jobs, California Gov. Newsom has announced the state is eliminating educational requirements for nearly 30,000 state jobs.

The removal of degree requirements for those 30,000 government roles—with a goal of doubling that number in 2026—is part the state’s new framework for California’s Master Plan for Career Education. The plan, which is supported by new state budget investments, is designed to “strengthen career pathways, prioritize hands-on learning and real-life skills, and advance educational access and affordability,” according to a statement from Newsom’s office.

The state’s human resources department evaluates whether a college degree or other educational requirements “are truly necessary” for a given position, the statement said, noting that the Newsom administration is proposing further simplifying civil service jobs by consolidating about 70 job classifications, modernizing descriptions and removing restrictive qualifications.

“Every Californian deserves the opportunity to build real-life skills and pursue a fulfilling career—including those that don’t require college degrees,” said Newsom in a statement. “California is working to ensure that every person has what they need to get a well-paying, long-lasting job so we can build an economy for the future that supports all families.”

With the recent announcement, California joins a growing list of states to relax or completely abolish degree requirements for state jobs. Proponents of a more skills-based approach to hiring in government say it deepens the talent pool and opens up career pathways for candidates who have the required skills and experience, but might not garner consideration because they don’t have an advanced degree.

Newsom’s announcement, however, has been met with some criticism.

The California Globe’s Evan Symon recently wrote that, while Newsom’s Master Plan has bipartisan support, “the part of ending college degree requirements for government jobs has been widely condemned.”

One former HR practitioner for a California state agency, identified only as “Tony” in Symon’s piece, said degrees are critical to picking the right person for most roles.

“A degree proves so much, everything from sticking it out long-term to having built-in skills,” he said, noting that several California cities cut college degree requirements for jobs in the 1990s.

As a result, “we had a bunch of non-college graduates [entering city government roles]. College grads had about a 95% retainment rate. Those that didn’t, only about 50% were kept on,” added the former HR professional. “We had people without degrees asking for things like electric typewriters or word processors instead of computers. We had people struggling to adapt. And now Newsom wants to bring that sort of uncertainty back.”

Employment consultant Beth Williams echoed the idea that advanced degrees are important for many government roles, while noting that not all jobs require a college education.

“Trade schools and apprenticeships are very popular for trades and things like that right now. But going into a government job, needing to know certain programs or getting certification, a degree lets you hit the ground running,” Williams told the Globe.

“You also have all the networking, social and real-life experience benefits too. Plus, a degree makes it so much easier for someone to be trained or quickly build up experience, as they are familiar with the area going in. For government jobs, a degree is essential for that.”