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Community development manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a community development manager. Community development managers usually study business, communication, or political science. 72% of community development managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,047 real community development manager resumes to see exactly what community development manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for community development managers are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online community development manager courses to help get the education required to be a community development manager.
There are certain community development manager certifications that you should consider. These community development manager certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a community development manager?
What degree do you need to be a community development manager?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a community development manager?
- Business, 17%
- Communication, 15%
- Marketing, 7%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for community development managers
| Community development manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 8.80% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 8.00% |
| San Diego State University | 7.20% |
| New York University | 4.80% |
| Michigan State University | 4.80% |
Best majors for community development managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 16.5% |
| 2 | Communication | 14.7% |
| 3 | Political Science | 8.6% |
| 4 | Marketing | 7.0% |
| 5 | Psychology | 6.6% |
Best colleges for community development managers
The best colleges for community development managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A community development 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 community development 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 community development managers.
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 community development managers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for community development managers
The most affordable schools for community development managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for community development 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 community development 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. 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 community development managers
The hardest universities for community development managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for community development 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 community development 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
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 community development managers
The easiest schools for community development managers 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 community development 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 community development 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. 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 community development manager salary by education level
| Community development manager education level | Community development manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $77,601 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $69,244 |
Community development manager 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