Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Commercial director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a commercial director. Commercial directors usually study business, marketing, or finance. 67% of commercial directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,549 real commercial director resumes to see exactly what commercial director education sections show.
The most common colleges for commercial directors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online commercial director courses to help get the education required to be a commercial director.
There are certain commercial director certifications that you should consider. These commercial director certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Certified Management Executive (CME).
What education do you need to become a commercial director?
What degree do you need to be a commercial director?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 22%
- Associate, 5%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a commercial director?
- Business, 31%
- Marketing, 9%
- Finance, 9%
- Management, 8%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for commercial directors
| Commercial director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 13.89% |
| Ohio State University | 7.64% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.25% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.25% |
| University of Florida | 4.86% |
Best majors for commercial directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 31.2% |
| 2 | Marketing | 8.8% |
| 3 | Finance | 8.6% |
| 4 | Management | 7.8% |
| 5 | Accounting | 5.1% |
Best colleges for commercial directors
The best colleges for commercial directors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
A commercial 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 commercial 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 commercial directors.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for commercial directors
Advertising disclosure
1. Product Management (Part Time)
Balance business viability, technical feasibility, and customer desire to lead products and features toward long-term success. Learn from a seasoned expert. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
2. Digital Marketing (Part Time)
Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Predictive Analytics for Business
Learn to apply predictive analytics and business intelligence to solve real-world business problems...
4. Marketing Analytics
Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
5. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups
The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...
6. Brief Intro to Commercial Real Estate
Learn the essential fundamentals of commercial real estate...
7. Product Manager
Envision and lead the product strategy of industry-defining products, and learn to successfully bring them to market. Influence the execution of product development as a Product Manager, one of the most highly-coveted roles in technology...
8. Data Product Manager
Leverage data to build products that deliver the right experiences, to the right users, at the right time. Lead the development of data-driven products that position businesses to win in their market...
9. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley
The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...
10. Business Mind - Mastering Business Development
Master in Practice the Product, Sales and Marketing Perspective of Business Development...
11. Digital Marketing
Gain real-world experience running live campaigns as you learn from top experts in the field. Launch your career with a 360-degree understanding of digital marketing...
12. AI for Business Leaders
Master the foundations of artificial intelligence so you can strategically implement AI in your company. Leverage machine learning technologies to power corporate growth, increase efficiency, and enhance customer experiences...
13. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources
Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...
14. The Commercial Real Estate Lease Modeling Master Class
The Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Building Dynamic Commercial Real Estate Lease Models in Microsoft Excel...
15. Business Analytics
In this program, you will learn foundational data skills that apply across functions and industries. You will learn to analyze data and build models with Excel, query databases using SQL, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
16. AI Product Manager
Learn to develop AI products that deliver business value. Build skills that help you compete in the new AI-powered world...
17. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...
18. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience
Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...
19. Growth Product Manager
Hone specialized Product Management skills in growth strategy. Lead experimentation and data-driven decision-making in your organization to drive products to reach the next level of scale, impact, and profitability...
20. Product Strategy
Learn how to build a bullet-proof vision & strategy for any digital product idea. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to identify the right problems to solve, map out business models for capturing revenue, and successfully pitch your strategy to stakeholders...
Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial directors
The most affordable schools for commercial directors are University of Florida, usf sarasota-manatee, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for commercial 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 commercial directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial directors
The hardest universities for commercial directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for commercial 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 commercial 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial directors
The easiest schools for commercial directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a commercial 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 commercial directors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
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. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
Average commercial director salary by education level
| Commercial director education level | Commercial director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $172,284 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $149,665 |
| Doctorate Degree | $181,063 |
Commercial director education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for commercial director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025