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Academic director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an academic director. Academic directors usually study business, education, or english. 55% of academic directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,263 real academic director resumes to see exactly what academic director education sections show.
The most common colleges for academic directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online academic director courses to help get the education required to be an academic director.
There are certain academic director certifications that you should consider. These academic director certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
What education do you need to become an academic director?
What degree do you need to be an academic director?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 30%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Associate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become an academic director?
Most common colleges for academic directors
| Academic director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.08% |
| New York University | 8.05% |
| University of Cincinnati | 6.04% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 6.04% |
| Michigan State University | 5.37% |
Best majors for academic directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 12.6% |
| 2 | Education | 10.5% |
| 3 | English | 10.0% |
| 4 | Educational Leadership | 8.3% |
| 5 | Psychology | 6.6% |
Best colleges for academic directors
The best colleges for academic directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
An academic director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for academic directors. 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 academic directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
20 best online courses for academic directors
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16. IELTS 7 Plus: Complete IELTS Preparation [Academic]
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17. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
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18. Stress management for business owners, directors & managers
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19. Mastering IELTS Writing: Task 1 Academic (Band 9 Answers)
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20. Introduction to Learning and Development
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Top 10 most affordable universities for academic directors
The most affordable schools for academic directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for academic directors 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 academic directors.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
8. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
9. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for academic directors
The hardest universities for academic directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for academic directors 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 academic directors 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for academic directors
The easiest schools for academic directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an academic director 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 academic directors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average academic director salary by education level
| Academic director education level | Academic director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $144,404 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $120,410 |
| Doctorate Degree | $164,156 |
Academic director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025