Center director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a center director. Center directors usually study business, early childhood education, or psychology. 61% of center directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 11,198 real center director resumes to see exactly what center director education sections show.

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

There are also many online center director courses to help get the education required to be a center director.

There are certain center director certifications that you should consider. These center director certifications include Child Development Associate (CDA) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

What education do you need to become a center director?

What degree do you need to be a center director?

The most common degree for center directors is bachelor's degree, with 61% of center 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 14%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Master's, 18%

Associate, 14%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a center director?

You should major in business to become a center director. 16% of center directors major in business. Other common majors for a center director include early childhood education and psychology.

Business, 16%

Early Childhood Education, 11%

Psychology, 10%

Elementary Education, 8%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for center directors

Center directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ashford University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for center directors in the US based on their resumes.

Center director common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	21.49%
Ashford University	7.20%
University of Maryland - College Park	5.81%
Pennsylvania State University	5.57%
Ohio State University	4.53%

Show more common center director colleges

Best majors for center directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	16.2%
2	Early Childhood Education	10.7%
3	Psychology	10.1%
4	Elementary Education	8.2%
5	Education	8.0%

Show more common center director majors

Best colleges for center directors

The best colleges for center directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

A center 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 center 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 center 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. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for center directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for center directors

The most affordable schools for center directors are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for center 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 center directors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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 center directors

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

Some great schools for center 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 center 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

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

The easiest schools for center directors to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and wayland baptist university.

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

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average center director salary by education level

According to our data, center directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $145,540 annually. Center directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $126,903.

Center director education level	Center director salary
Master's Degree	$126,903
Bachelor's Degree	$104,384
Doctorate Degree	$145,540

Center director education FAQs

What is the best college for Center Directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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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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