Post job

Assistant project director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an assistant project director. Assistant project directors usually study psychology, business, or marketing. 70% of assistant project directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 516 real assistant project director resumes to see exactly what assistant project director education sections show.

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

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

What education do you need to become an assistant project director?

What degree do you need to be an assistant project director?

The most common degree for assistant project directors is bachelor's degree, with 70% of assistant project directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an assistant project director?

You should major in psychology to become an assistant project director. 18% of assistant project directors major in psychology. Other common majors for an assistant project director include business and marketing.

Most common colleges for assistant project directors

Assistant project directors often get their degrees at New York University, California State University - San Bernardino, and University of Massachusetts Boston. Here are the most common colleges for assistant project directors in the US based on their resumes.
Assistant project director common collegePercentages
New York University11.69%
California State University - San Bernardino9.09%
University of Massachusetts Boston6.49%
Temple University5.19%
Auburn University Main Campus5.19%

Best majors for assistant project directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology18.0%
2Business17.6%
3Marketing6.7%
4Political Science6.3%
5Communication5.1%

Best colleges for assistant project directors

The best colleges for assistant project directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

An assistant project 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 assistant project 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 assistant project 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for assistant project directors

Advertising disclosure

1. Digital Project Management

udacity

Build confidence translating business requirements into project scope statements, creating project plans in Waterfall or Agile, and developing a high-performing team...

2. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

udemy
4.4
(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

3. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

udemy
4.5
(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

4. Apply finance concepts for smart project management

udemy
4.2
(338)

Learn to read financial statements and make meaningful interpretations for business decisions in the age of big data...

5. CompTIA Project+ Exam Prep

udemy
4.6
(895)

How to pass the Comp TIA Project+ Exam...

6. Microsoft Project ADVANCED: Project Management Technics 3PDU

udemy
4.6
(952)

MS PROJECT 2016 ADVANCED Project Management Techniques -incl Enterprise level. HANDS-ON from #1 BESTSELLING INSTRUCTOR...

7. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

udemy
4.6
(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

8. Complete Microsoft Project Training & Certification

udemy
4.4
(268)

Microsoft Project Professional - Project Management Software...

9. Data Science- Project Management Methodology-CRISP-DM

udemy
4.3
(584)

End to End High Level Overview of Data Science & AI projects...

10. Project Management Fundamentals for Professionals

udemy
4
(288)

Delivering Exceptional Project Results: Successful “Hands-On” Management of Modern-Day Projects...

11. Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management

udemy
4.5
(5,170)

Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...

12. Data Science Bootcamp 2022: 5 Data Science Projects

udemy
4.5
(745)

Data Science and Machine Learning Masterclass with Python with 5 Data Science Real World Projects...

13. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants

udemy
4.5
(809)

How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...

14. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

udemy
4.6
(28,219)

Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

15. International Project Management - Master Class

udemy
4.4
(828)

Take your project management skills to the next level and learn how to manage international projects...

16. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

udemy
4.2
(2,380)

Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

17. Project Management Training

udemy
4.6
(1,394)

Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...

18. Project Management With MS Project - Scheduling Master Class

udemy
4.5
(4,297)

Managing projects with Microsoft Project? Learn project management, planning, scheduling, and tracking best practices...

19. Project Management Fundamentals

udemy
4.6
(23,399)

Practical Project Management worked example using Gantt Charts, PMI, PMP, APM...

20. Project Management Essentials

udemy
4.5
(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

Top 10 most affordable universities for assistant project directors

The most affordable schools for assistant project directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for assistant project 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 assistant project directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for assistant project directors

The hardest universities for assistant project directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for assistant project 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 assistant project 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for assistant project directors

The easiest schools for assistant project directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an assistant project 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 assistant project 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. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average assistant project director salary by education level

Assistant project directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $69,422 annually. With a Master's degree, assistant project directors earn a median annual income of $64,680 compared to $55,866 for assistant project directors with an Bachelor's degree.
Assistant project director education levelAssistant project director salary
Master's Degree$64,680
High School Diploma or Less$41,130
Bachelor's Degree$55,866
Doctorate Degree$69,422
Some College/ Associate Degree$43,838

Assistant project director education FAQs

Search for assistant project director jobs

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.

Browse executive management jobs