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Brand director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a brand director. Brand directors usually study business, marketing, or communication. 76% of brand directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,791 real brand director resumes to see exactly what brand director education sections show.
The most common colleges for brand directors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online brand director courses to help get the education required to be a brand director.
There are certain brand director certifications that you should consider. These brand director certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate.
What education do you need to become a brand director?
What degree do you need to be a brand director?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 4%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a brand director?
- Business, 23%
- Marketing, 19%
- Communication, 9%
- Graphic Design, 6%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for brand directors
| Brand director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 9.79% |
| Boston University | 7.66% |
| University of Southern California | 6.81% |
| University of Washington | 5.53% |
| Indiana University Bloomington | 5.53% |
Best majors for brand directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.8% |
| 2 | Marketing | 18.9% |
| 3 | Communication | 8.7% |
| 4 | Graphic Design | 6.1% |
| 5 | Management | 4.4% |
Best colleges for brand directors
The best colleges for brand directors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
A brand 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 brand 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 brand directors.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for brand directors
Advertising disclosure
1. Product Management (Part Time)
Balance business viability, technical feasibility, and customer desire to lead products and features toward long-term success. Learn from a seasoned expert. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
2. Digital Marketing (Part Time)
Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Predictive Analytics for Business
Learn to apply predictive analytics and business intelligence to solve real-world business problems...
4. Marketing Analytics
Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
5. Strategic Product Development
This course discusses how companies create new products that customers want while achieving their financial objectives. Learners begin by defining the product strategies necessary to ensure a company’s long-term growth. Learners then explore the different product development processes used by high-tech businesses today, such as Stage-Gate and Lean/Agile techniques. Learners conclude by illustrating the tools to build the high-performance teams that take the development process from concept...
6. Brand and Product Management
The main objective is identify the critical information needed to develop a product and brand strategy that generates both quick wins and long-term value. Along this course, you will learn brand and product strategy key concepts such as product lifecycle, product demand estimation, product and brand development and launching, product pipeline, competitors analysis, brand essence and identity, brand architecture, brand equity, brand portfolio, customer experience journey, purchase funnel, key...
7. Product Marketing Launch Plan: Product GTM with Dekker, MBA
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8. Business Mind - Mastering Business Development
Master in Practice the Product, Sales and Marketing Perspective of Business Development...
9. Product Manager
Envision and lead the product strategy of industry-defining products, and learn to successfully bring them to market. Influence the execution of product development as a Product Manager, one of the most highly-coveted roles in technology...
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11. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups
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12. Online Business Masterclass: Sell Your Own Digital Products
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14. AI for Business Leaders
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15. Business Strategy Development: The Art of Differentiation
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16. Branding & Brand Management with Dekker: Branding Strategy+
Branding Guide MBA Level : Brand Management, Branding Strategy, Brand Building #1 Branding Course from top MBA F100 XP...
17. Business Analytics
In this program, you will learn foundational data skills that apply across functions and industries. You will learn to analyze data and build models with Excel, query databases using SQL, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
18. AI Product Manager
Learn to develop AI products that deliver business value. Build skills that help you compete in the new AI-powered world...
19. Product Marketing for Technology Companies
Master your product marketing skills through practical examples and exercises...
20. Cosmetic Entrepreneurship: Create Your Own Skincare Products
A Startup Guide to Develop your Skin Care, Hair Care, Beauty, or Personal Care Idea into a Retail Ready Product...
Top 10 most affordable universities for brand directors
The most affordable schools for brand directors are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for brand 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 brand directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for brand directors
The hardest universities for brand directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for brand 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 brand 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 Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for brand directors
The easiest schools for brand directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a brand 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 brand directors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average brand director salary by education level
| Brand director education level | Brand director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $139,818 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $127,051 |
| Doctorate Degree | $144,627 |
Brand director education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025