Commercial project manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a commercial project manager. Commercial project managers usually study business, finance, or construction management. 65% of commercial project managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,138 real commercial project manager resumes to see exactly what commercial project manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for commercial project managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online commercial project manager courses to help get the education required to be a commercial project manager.

There are certain commercial project manager certifications that you should consider. These commercial project manager certifications include OSHA Safety Certificate and Master Project Manager (MPM).

What education do you need to become a commercial project manager?

What degree do you need to be a commercial project manager?

The most common degree for commercial project managers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of commercial project managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 65%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 10%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a commercial project manager?

You should major in business to become a commercial project manager. 29% of commercial project managers major in business. Other common majors for a commercial project manager include finance and construction management.

Business, 29%

Finance, 7%

Construction Management, 7%

Marketing, 5%

Other Majors, 52%

Most common colleges for commercial project managers

Commercial project managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Iowa, and University of Illinois at Chicago. Here are the most common colleges for commercial project managers in the US based on their resumes.

Commercial project manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	10.20%
University of Iowa	9.18%
University of Illinois at Chicago	7.14%
Pennsylvania State University	7.14%
Virginia Commonwealth University	5.10%

Show more common commercial project manager colleges

Best majors for commercial project managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.1%
2	Finance	7.1%
3	Construction Management	6.9%
4	Marketing	4.7%
5	Electrical Engineering	4.7%

Show more common commercial project manager majors

Best colleges for commercial project managers

The best colleges for commercial project managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A commercial project manager 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 project managers. 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 project managers.

1. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for commercial project managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Mastering Construction/Project Management

4.2

(659)

Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

2. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

4.3

(730)

Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

3. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

4.4

(290)

Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...

4. Project Management Essentials

4.5

(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

5. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

6. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager

4.4

(250)

Project Management...

7. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

4.5

(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

8. Construction Procurement Management

4.5

(300)

A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...

9. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

4.4

(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

10. Construction Project Scheduling

4.5

(346)

Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...

11. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management

4.4

(1,144)

Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...

12. Agile Project Management Bootcamp: Agile Project Management

4.5

(1,916)

This Agile Project Management Bootcamp course will allow you to learn the Agile Way! Agile Project Management (Scrum)...

13. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

4.6

(28,219)

Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

14. Project Management Training

4.6

(1,394)

Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...

15. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants

4.5

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How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...

16. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management

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Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...

17. Project Management Fundamentals

4.6

(23,399)

Practical Project Management worked example using Gantt Charts, PMI, PMP, APM...

18. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

4.1

(1,381)

Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

19. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM

4.3

(1,114)

Earned Value Management, Project Management, Cost Control & Monitor, Budget, Schedule & Cost Variance, Performance Index...

20. Project Management: Master Project Management - PMP/PMI

4.6

(12,299)

Master Project Management using this practical certification course...

Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial project managers

The most affordable schools for commercial project managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for commercial project managers 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 project managers.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial project managers

The hardest universities for commercial project managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for commercial project managers 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 project managers 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial project managers

The easiest schools for commercial project managers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan 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 commercial project manager 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 project managers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

Average commercial project manager salary by education level

Commercial project managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $95,843 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, commercial project managers earn a median annual income of $91,330 compared to $89,840 for commercial project managers with an Doctorate degree.

Commercial project manager education level	Commercial project manager salary
Master's Degree	$95,843
High School Diploma or Less	$79,531
Bachelor's Degree	$91,330
Doctorate Degree	$89,840
Some College/ Associate Degree	$82,165

Commercial project manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Commercial Project Managers?

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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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