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Administrative services director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an administrative services director. Administrative services directors usually study business, nursing, or accounting. 57% of administrative services directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,662 real administrative services director resumes to see exactly what administrative services director education sections show.

The most common colleges for administrative services directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online administrative services director courses to help get the education required to be an administrative services director.

There are certain administrative services director certifications that you should consider. These administrative services director certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Program Management Professional (PgMP).

What education do you need to become an administrative services director?

What degree do you need to be an administrative services director?

The most common degree for administrative services directors is bachelor's degree, with 57% of administrative services directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 17%.
  • Bachelor's, 57%
  • Master's, 20%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become an administrative services director?

You should major in business to become an administrative services director. 27% of administrative services directors major in business. Other common majors for an administrative services director include nursing and accounting.

Most common colleges for administrative services directors

Administrative services directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. Here are the most common colleges for administrative services directors in the US based on their resumes.
Administrative services director common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix23.38%
New York University7.14%
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler5.19%
Pennsylvania State University4.55%
University of Maryland - College Park4.55%

Best majors for administrative services directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business27.0%
2Nursing23.9%
3Accounting8.7%
4Health Care Administration5.1%
5Management4.7%

Best colleges for administrative services directors

The best colleges for administrative services directors are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An administrative services 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 administrative services 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 administrative services directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for administrative services directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for administrative services directors

The most affordable schools for administrative services directors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for administrative services 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 administrative services directors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for administrative services directors

The hardest universities for administrative services directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for administrative services 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 administrative services 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for administrative services directors

The easiest schools for administrative services directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an administrative services 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 administrative services directors.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average administrative services director salary by education level

According to our data, administrative services directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $94,075 annually. Administrative services directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $85,151.
Administrative services director education levelAdministrative services director salary
Master's Degree$94,075
High School Diploma or Less$75,143
Bachelor's Degree$85,151
Some College/ Associate Degree$74,973

Administrative services director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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