Chief strategy officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a chief strategy officer. Chief strategy officers usually study business, economics, or political science. 62% of chief strategy officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 559 real chief strategy officer resumes to see exactly what chief strategy officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for chief strategy officers are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online chief strategy officer courses to help get the education required to be a chief strategy officer.

What education do you need to become a chief strategy officer?

What degree do you need to be a chief strategy officer?

The most common degree for chief strategy officers is bachelor's degree, with 62% of chief strategy officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 26% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 62%

Master's, 26%

Doctorate, 5%

Associate, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a chief strategy officer?

You should major in business to become a chief strategy officer. 27% of chief strategy officers major in business. Other common majors for a chief strategy officer include economics and political science.

Business, 27%

Economics, 9%

Political Science, 9%

Finance, 8%

Other Majors, 47%

Most common colleges for chief strategy officers

Chief strategy officers often get their degrees at New York University, University of Phoenix, and University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Here are the most common colleges for chief strategy officers in the US based on their resumes.

Chief strategy officer common college	Percentages
New York University	10.58%
University of Phoenix	6.73%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	5.77%
University of Pennsylvania	5.77%
Pennsylvania State University	5.77%

Show more common chief strategy officer colleges

Best majors for chief strategy officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	26.8%
2	Economics	9.2%
3	Political Science	8.9%
4	Finance	7.6%
5	Marketing	6.4%

Show more common chief strategy officer majors

Best colleges for chief strategy officers

The best colleges for chief strategy officers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A chief strategy 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 strategy 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 strategy officers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

20 best online courses for chief strategy officers

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Learn strategy from Strategy Planning & Execution From A to Z best-selling author (Free Book, APP, & Forms)...

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Business Strategy: Understand What It Takes To Be Successful In Business...

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

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Comprehensive Course on Software as a Service(Saa S) Metrics: ARR, Churn, Retention, LTV, CAC, Unit Economics...

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Saa S Customers! Saa S Business Saa S Sales Startup App Marketing, Saa S App Growth Marketing IT Startup Saa S Startup...

Top 10 most affordable universities for chief strategy officers

The most affordable schools for chief strategy officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida state university.

If the best universities for chief strategy 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 strategy officers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chief strategy officers

The hardest universities for chief strategy officers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for chief strategy 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 strategy 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

9. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,380

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chief strategy officers

The easiest schools for chief strategy officers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chief strategy 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 strategy officers.

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. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average chief strategy officer salary by education level

According to our data, chief strategy officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $215,043 annually. Chief strategy officers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $206,566.

Chief strategy officer education level	Chief strategy officer salary
Master's Degree	$215,043
High School Diploma or Less	$147,410
Bachelor's Degree	$183,306
Doctorate Degree	$206,566
Some College/ Associate Degree	$152,280

Chief strategy officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Chief Strategy Officers?

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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