Communications director education requirements

Q: What job can you get with a communications degree?

You can get many jobs with a communication degree, including social media intern, copywriter, and digital marketing manager. These are three different jobs that you might be able to obtain with a communications degree. However, you must advance to the copywriter and digital marketing manager positions.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a communications director. Communications directors usually study communication, journalism, or business. 76% of communications directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 17,448 real communications director resumes to see exactly what communications director education sections show.

The most common colleges for communications directors are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.

There are also many online communications director courses to help get the education required to be a communications director.

There are certain communications director certifications that you should consider. These communications director certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).

What education do you need to become a communications director?

What degree do you need to be a communications director?

The most common degree for communications directors is bachelor's degree, with 76% of communications directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 76%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 6%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a communications director?

You should major in communication to become a communications director. 19% of communications directors major in communication. Other common majors for a communications director include journalism and business.

Communication, 19%

Journalism, 12%

Business, 12%

Political Science, 9%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for communications directors

Communications directors often get their degrees at University of Maryland - College Park, University of Phoenix, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for communications directors in the US based on their resumes.

Communications director common college	Percentages
University of Maryland - College Park	7.26%
University of Phoenix	6.47%
New York University	6.29%
Michigan State University	6.11%
University of Florida	5.74%

Show more common communications director colleges

Best majors for communications directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Communication	19.1%
2	Journalism	12.3%
3	Business	12.3%
4	Political Science	9.2%
5	English	8.7%

Show more common communications director majors

Best colleges for communications directors

The best colleges for communications directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A communications 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 communications 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 communications directors.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for communications directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for communications directors

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

If the best universities for communications 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 communications 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. 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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for communications directors

The hardest universities for communications directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for communications 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 communications 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for communications directors

The easiest schools for communications directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a communications 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 communications directors.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average communications director salary by education level

According to our data, communications directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $132,205 annually. Communications directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $112,110.

Communications director education level	Communications director salary
Master's Degree	$132,205
Bachelor's Degree	$112,110

Communications director education FAQs

What job can you get with a communications degree?

What is the best college for Communications Directors?

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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