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Chief Product Officer Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a chief product officer. Chief product officers usually study business, criminal justice, or computer science. 48% of chief product officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,764 real chief product officer resumes to see exactly what chief product officer education sections show.
The most common colleges for chief product officers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online chief product officer courses to help get the education required to be a chief product officer.
There are certain chief product officer certifications that you should consider. These chief product officer certifications include Certified Protection Officer (CPO) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.
What education do you need to become a chief product officer?
What degree do you need to be a chief product officer?
- Bachelor's, 48%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 13%
- High School Diploma, 13%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a chief product officer?
- Business, 22%
- Criminal Justice, 21%
- Computer Science, 7%
- Accounting, 5%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for chief product officers
| Chief Product Officer Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.00% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 6.00% |
| University of Southern California | 6.00% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 6.00% |
| Northwestern University | 5.00% |
Best majors for chief product officers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 21.8% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 21.3% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 6.9% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.0% |
| 5 | Management | 4.6% |
Best colleges for chief product officers
The best colleges for chief product officers are Northeastern University, Boston University, and Northwestern University.
A chief product officer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chief product officers. 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 chief product officers.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
3. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
6. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
7. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,138
Enrollment
13,743
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for chief product officers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for chief product officers
The most affordable schools for chief product officers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for chief product officers 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 chief product officers.
1. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,587
Cost of Attendance
13,043
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
3. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,740
Cost of Attendance
17,864
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,410
Cost of Attendance
20,456
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,942
Cost of Attendance
14,469
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,587
Cost of Attendance
16,915
9. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
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 chief product officers
The hardest universities for chief product officers to get into are Northeastern University, Boston University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for chief product officers 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 chief product officers 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,420
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. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
39%
SAT Average
1,367
6. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
40%
SAT Average
1,376
7. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
47%
SAT Average
1,390
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
Admissions Rate
49%
SAT Average
1,347
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions Rate
42%
SAT Average
1,380
10. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
Admissions Rate
52%
SAT Average
1,365
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chief product officers
The easiest schools for chief product officers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, oklahoma wesleyan university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chief product officer 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 chief product officers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
88%
SAT Average
1,044
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
92%
SAT Average
1,031
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
81%
SAT Average
999
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
1,061
7. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
78%
SAT Average
1,020
8. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,059
9. Manor College
Jenkintown, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
94%
SAT Average
898
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
99%
SAT Average
1,008
Average chief product officer salary by education level
| Chief Product Officer education level | Chief Product Officer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $158,296 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $143,052 |
| Doctorate Degree | $158,269 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $106,005 |
Chief Product Officer Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025