Community center director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a community center director. Community center directors usually study business, psychology, or sociology. 59% of community center directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 783 real community center director resumes to see exactly what community center director education sections show.

The most common colleges for community center directors are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

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

What education do you need to become a community center director?

What degree do you need to be a community center director?

The most common degree for community center directors is bachelor's degree, with 59% of community center directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 59%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 13%

High School Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a community center director?

You should major in business to become a community center director. 19% of community center directors major in business. Other common majors for a community center director include psychology and sociology.

Business, 19%

Psychology, 9%

Sociology, 7%

Communication, 7%

Other Majors, 58%

Most common colleges for community center directors

Community center directors often get their degrees at Michigan State University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Temple University. Here are the most common colleges for community center directors in the US based on their resumes.

Community center director common college	Percentages
Michigan State University	8.22%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	5.48%
Temple University	5.48%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	5.48%
New York University	5.48%

Show more common community center director colleges

Best majors for community center directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	19.0%
2	Psychology	8.7%
3	Sociology	6.9%
4	Communication	6.6%
5	Education	6.6%

Show more common community center director majors

Best colleges for community center directors

The best colleges for community center directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A community center 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 community center 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 community center directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

3. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for community center directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for community center directors

The most affordable schools for community center directors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for community center 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 community center directors.

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. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for community center directors

The hardest universities for community center directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for community center 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 community center 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for community center directors

The easiest schools for community center directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and gwynedd mercy university.

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average community center director salary by education level

According to our data, community center directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $83,748 annually. Community center directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $76,195.

Community center director education level	Community center director salary
Master's Degree	$76,195
Bachelor's Degree	$60,500
Doctorate Degree	$83,748

Community center director education FAQs

What is the best college for Community Center Directors?

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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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