Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Co-founder and board member education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a co-founder and board member. Co-founder and board members usually study business, economics, or finance. 65% of co-founder and board members hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 485 real co-founder and board member resumes to see exactly what co-founder and board member education sections show.
The most common colleges for co-founder and board members are the Stanford University and the Stanford University.
There are also many online co-founder and board member courses to help get the education required to be a co-founder and board member.
What education do you need to become a co-founder and board member?
What degree do you need to be a co-founder and board member?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 21%
- Doctorate, 7%
- Associate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a co-founder and board member?
Most common colleges for co-founder and board members
| Co-founder and board member common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Stanford University | 8.33% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 7.14% |
| The University of Alabama | 5.95% |
| Boston University | 5.95% |
| Harvard University | 5.95% |
Best majors for co-founder and board members
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.1% |
| 2 | Economics | 7.9% |
| 3 | Finance | 6.9% |
| 4 | Political Science | 6.9% |
| 5 | Law | 6.5% |
Best colleges for co-founder and board members
The best colleges for co-founder and board members are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.
A co-founder and board member with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for co-founder and board members. 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 co-founder and board members.
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. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
5. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. University of North Texas
Denton, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,852
Enrollment
31,375
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for co-founder and board members
Advertising disclosure
1. The Factors that Influence the Effectiveness of Boards and the Governance Process
The third course in this Specialization introduces you to the factors that influence how effective boards of directors will be in carrying out their roles and responsibilities and hence the impact they have in shaping the success of the organization they govern. While this course has been developed with North American culture in mind, we do appreciate that, in other parts of the world, the nature of the factors that influence the effectiveness of nonprofit boards of directors may vary...
2. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources
Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...
3. Basic Governance for Board Members
Know your rights, duties & stay out of trouble...
4. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course
Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...
5. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0
Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...
6. Human Resources For Beginners
A guide to learning the fundamentals of human resource management...
7. Human Resources (HR) as a Business Partner
This course provides valuable information on how Human Resource Business Partnering (HRBP) operates in practice...
8. Introduction to Human Resource Management
HRM is an important function of any organization. It includes managing people in a structured and thorough manner...
9. HR as a Strategic Business Partner
Better understand your value and role as a strategic business partner...
10. SaaS Metrics Fundamentals for Managers, Founders & Investors
The Most Comprehensive Course on Saa S Metrics: Bookings, ARR, Churn, Retention, LTV, CAC, Unit Economics and Dashboard...
11. Restaurant Management - Human Resources Best Practices
Learn the best systems to find, develop and keep the best employees to run a profitable restaurant...
12. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed
HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...
13. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)
Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...
14. Effective Human Resource Administration
Effective Human Resource Administration...
15. Certification Course in Human Resource Management
Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...
16. Introduction to Human Resource Concepts
Introduction to Human Resource Concepts...
17. The Human Resources Certification Program (HRCI - PHR/SPHR)
An Exam Preparation Guide to the Human Resource Body of Knowledge...
18. Learn HR Fundamentals for a Career in Human Resources
Human Resource Management is key to developing any business or organization. Learn core HR roles and responsibilities...
19. Master Course: HR Fundamentals and HR Leadership (101 level)
HR Fundamentals, HR Leadership, Human resources, Human resource management, SHRM, HRP, Human resource development...
20. SaaS Marketing: SaaS Startup Lead Generation with Dekker
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 co-founder and board members
The most affordable schools for co-founder and board members are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for co-founder and board members 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 co-founder and board members.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for co-founder and board members
The hardest universities for co-founder and board members to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.
Some great schools for co-founder and board members 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 co-founder and board members 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for co-founder and board members
The easiest schools for co-founder and board members to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, notre dame de namur university, and university of north texas at dallas.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a co-founder and board member 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 co-founder and board members.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
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. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
Average co-founder and board member salary by education level
| Co-founder and board member education level | Co-founder and board member salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $73,528 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,577 |
| Doctorate Degree | $85,027 |
Co-founder and board member education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for co-founder and board member jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025