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College director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a college director. College directors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 64% of college directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 831 real college director resumes to see exactly what college director education sections show.
The most common colleges for college directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online college director courses to help get the education required to be a college director.
What education do you need to become a college director?
What degree do you need to be a college director?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 7%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a college director?
- Business, 21%
- Psychology, 9%
- Communication, 8%
- Education, 5%
- Other Majors, 57%
Most common colleges for college directors
| College director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.76% |
| New York University | 7.84% |
| Texas A&M University | 6.86% |
| Ohio University | 5.88% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.88% |
Best majors for college directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 21.2% |
| 2 | Psychology | 9.2% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.9% |
| 4 | Education | 5.4% |
| 5 | Political Science | 5.1% |
Best colleges for college directors
The best colleges for college directors are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Vanderbilt University.
A college 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 college 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 college directors.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
10. Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, IA • Private
In-state tuition
$30,894
Enrollment
2,289
20 best online courses for college directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for college directors
The most affordable schools for college directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for college 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 college directors.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for college directors
The hardest universities for college directors to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for college 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 college 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for college directors
The easiest schools for college directors to get into are Barry University, d'youville college, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a college 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 college directors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
10. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
Average college director salary by education level
| College director education level | College director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $117,847 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $91,340 |
| Doctorate Degree | $141,056 |
College 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