Advertising director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an advertising director. Advertising directors usually study business, communication, or marketing. 80% of advertising directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,125 real advertising director resumes to see exactly what advertising director education sections show.

The most common colleges for advertising directors are the New York University and the New York University.

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

There are certain advertising director certifications that you should consider. These advertising director certifications include Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).

What education do you need to become an advertising director?

What degree do you need to be an advertising director?

The most common degree for advertising directors is bachelor's degree, with 80% of advertising directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 9% and associate degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 80%

Associate, 9%

Master's, 7%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an advertising director?

You should major in business to become an advertising director. 20% of advertising directors major in business. Other common majors for an advertising director include communication and marketing.

Business, 20%

Communication, 13%

Marketing, 13%

Journalism, 7%

Other Majors, 47%

Most common colleges for advertising directors

Advertising directors often get their degrees at New York University, University of Iowa, and Michigan State University. Here are the most common colleges for advertising directors in the US based on their resumes.

Advertising director common college	Percentages
New York University	8.93%
University of Iowa	7.22%
Michigan State University	6.87%
University of Florida	6.53%
University of Texas at Austin	6.19%

Show more common advertising director colleges

Best majors for advertising directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	20.0%
2	Communication	13.0%
3	Marketing	12.8%
4	Journalism	6.8%
5	Advertising	6.3%

Show more common advertising director majors

Best colleges for advertising directors

The best colleges for advertising directors are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

An advertising 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 advertising 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 advertising directors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for advertising directors

Advertising disclosure

1. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1

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1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

2. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

4.6

(584)

The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

3. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

(1,581)

A Beginners Guide To Sales & Marketing For Your Online Business And Ventures...

4. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B

4.5

(741)

Master Sales Skills, Marketing Strategy, B2B Sales, Business Development, Lead Generation Using Top Social Skills...

5. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

4.4

(994)

Develop Extraordinary Sales Skills With The Ultimate Sales Training (Taught By 5 Top Sales Experts)...

6. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

4.6

(4,040)

Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...

7. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley

4.5

(6,788)

The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

8. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

4.5

(599)

Learn to create highly converting sales, conduct professional email marketing & 10X your sales with sales funnel fast!...

9. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

4.7

(262)

Develop Advanced Sales Skills To Sell Anything Like A Champ (Taught By A World-class Salesman)...

10. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

4.6

(23,968)

Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...

11. B2B Sales Skills: LinkedIn Lead Generation, Cold Email Sales

4.5

(327)

High-ticket B2B sales and marketing. Generate leads, sell to big companies, and win large deals. Learn sales skills!...

12. CRUSH IT!!! - Sales Strategies

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Discover a step by step sales process you can drop into your business to re-connect with lost prospects. Close Sales Now...

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A practical guide on how to improve sales and marketing of your customers during consulting projects like Mc Kinsey, BCG,...

14. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

4.6

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Practical, Hands-on Sales Techniques and Tools to Effortlessly Engage your Customers In Your Sales Presentations...

15. Advanced Copywriting Strategies for Online Sales

4.2

(520)

The step-by-step system for turning online leads into buyers with advanced copywriting techniques...

16. Sales Fundamentals

(791)

Learn how to sell with core, proven techniques that have generated millions in sales revenue...

17. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn's tool for B2B Sales

4.1

(393)

Linked In Sales Navigator best remote practices for the Linked In premium service for business development and B2B sales...

18. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

4.5

(1,734)

Closing Sales: Sales Training Course: Sales Skills; Selling Techniques; Sales Strategies for B2B, B2C Direct Sales...

19. B2B Sales Objections Simplified

4.6

(1,641)

B2B Sales Skill: Learn How to Handle the Most Common Sales Objections, Over the Phone and in Person!...

20. Sales Forecasting in Excel for Management Consultants

4.6

(267)

A practical guide on how to do basic sales forecasting models in Excel with case studies & real-life examples...

Top 10 most affordable universities for advertising directors

The most affordable schools for advertising directors are University of Florida, california state university - dominguez hills, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for advertising 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 advertising directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for advertising directors

The hardest universities for advertising directors to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for advertising 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 advertising 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for advertising directors

The easiest schools for advertising directors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame college.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average advertising director salary by education level

According to our data, advertising directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $134,712 annually. Advertising directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $129,671.

Advertising director education level	Advertising director salary
Master's Degree	$134,712
Bachelor's Degree	$129,671

Advertising director education FAQs

What is the best college for Advertising Directors?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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