How to become an Arbitrator
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Take Free Career TestCareer Attributes
- $72,714
- 7,800
- 3.5
- 11.5%
- Bachelor's degree
- Counseling Psychology
Overview
Table of Contents
Arbitrators must have excellent verbal and writing skills in order to communicate with parties to a dispute. Strong listening and interpersonal skills are also important, as is the ability to negotiate effectively. Analytical abilities and critical thinking are other skills needed for the role, since it is important to logically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the cases presented. Sound judgment is required to determine the appropriate action to take. An ability to persuade others is a highly desirable attribute to have in this position.
Some arbitrator roles require a law degree, but many do not. Most, however, do require a bachelor's degree. Degrees in public policy, political science, business and social work are advantageous in preparing for this career. Courses in psychology, consumer law and public speaking would also be beneficial. Fluency in a second language is helpful, especially for those who intend to pursue work in international arbitration. Master's level degrees in conflict resolution and arbitration are offered by numerous universities, and specialized training is provided by a number of professional associations. Licensure is required in some jurisdictions.
What are Arbitrators like?

Based on our pool of users, Arbitrators tend to be predominately enterprising people. Take our career test to see what career interest category best describes you.
Arbitrators by Strongest Interest Archetype
Based on sample of 82 CareerExplorer users
Are Arbitrators happy?
Arbitrators rank highly among careers. Overall they rank in the 70th percentile of careers for satisfaction scores.
Arbitrator Career Satisfaction by Dimension
Percentile among all careers
Education History of Arbitrators
The most common degree held by Arbitrators is International Relations. 16% of Arbitrators had a degree in International Relations before becoming Arbitrators. That is over 11 times the average across all careers. Psychology graduates are the second most common among Arbitrators, representing 14% of Arbitrators in the CareerExplorer user base, which is 1.9 times the average.
Arbitrator Education History
This table shows which degrees people earn before becoming an Arbitrator, compared to how often those degrees are obtained by people who earn at least one post secondary degree.
Degree | % of Arbitrators | % of population | Multiple | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
International Relations | 15.9% | 1.5% | 10.5× | ||
Psychology | 13.6% | 7.0% | 1.9× | ||
Political Science | 11.4% | 2.9% | 3.9× | ||
Human Resources | 9.1% | 1.0% | 9.1× | ||
Philosophy And Religious Studies | 9.1% | 1.6% | 5.8× | ||
Criminal Justice | 9.1% | 1.4% | 6.5× | ||
Sociology | 9.1% | 2.1% | 4.3× | ||
Communications | 6.8% | 3.4% | 2.0× | ||
English Literature | 6.8% | 4.9% | 1.4× | ||
Counseling Psychology | 6.8% | 0.4% | 19.1× |
Arbitrator Education Levels
44% of Arbitrators have a bachelor's degree. 28% of Arbitrators have a master's degree.
No education | 0% | |
High school diploma | 4% | |
Associate's degree | 8% | |
Bachelor's degree | 44% | |
Master's degree | 28% | |
Doctorate degree | 4% |
How to Become an Arbitrator
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Take the CareerExplorer Career Test
Would you make a good arbitrator? CareerExplorer's free assessment reveals how compatible you are with a career across 5 dimensions!
Take the free career test
Find your perfect career
Would you make a good arbitrator? CareerExplorer's free assessment reveals how compatible you are with a career across 5 dimensions!
Career Attributes
- $72,714
- 7,800
- 3.5
- 11.5%
- Bachelor's degree
- Counseling Psychology
Find your perfect career
Would you make a good arbitrator? CareerExplorer's free assessment reveals how compatible you are with a career across 5 dimensions!