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Content director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a content director. Content directors usually study communication, english, or journalism. 77% of content directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,194 real content director resumes to see exactly what content director education sections show.

The most common colleges for content directors are the New York University and the New York University.

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

There are certain content director certifications that you should consider. These content director certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate.

What education do you need to become a content director?

What degree do you need to be a content director?

The most common degree for content directors is bachelor's degree, with 77% of content 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 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 77%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 5%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a content director?

You should major in communication to become a content director. 18% of content directors major in communication. Other common majors for a content director include english and journalism.

Most common colleges for content directors

Content directors often get their degrees at New York University, Boston University, and Syracuse University. Here are the most common colleges for content directors in the US based on their resumes.
Content director common collegePercentages
New York University14.91%
Boston University8.07%
Syracuse University7.45%
Michigan State University4.97%
University of Southern California4.97%

Best majors for content directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication18.0%
2English14.7%
3Journalism12.1%
4Business9.1%
5Marketing6.1%

Best colleges for content directors

The best colleges for content directors are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and University of Southern California.

A content 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 content 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 content 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 Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

4. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

5. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

9. University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$14,138

Enrollment

13,743

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

20 best online courses for content directors

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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. Digital Content Planning and Management

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The evolution of digital technology has vastly impacted the way we communicate, live and work. Whether you’re a content creator, a content manager or a brand account manager, digital content management plays a crucial role in an advertising campaign’s success. Learn what it takes to successfully inventory, create, analyze, and manage content for companies of any scale, as well as the process of implementing these systems across organizations. This practical course is designed for current...

6. Manage and schedule content in Facebook Creator Studio

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In this project, learners will learn how to manage and schedule your content in Facebook Creator Studio. Facebook Creator Studio has all of the tools that you need together, for you to be able to publish your content, manage it, monetize it and measure your content. You can do all of that for all of your Facebook pages and Instagram accounts. Facebook Creator Studio is the perfect tool to manage your social media presence completely free and in a platform that lets you do it all. In this...

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14. AI for Business Leaders

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15. Content Marketing: Business Growth w/Content Marketing + AI

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Modern Content Marketing & Content Creation to Grow your Business Marketing Funnels Chat GPT Content Marketing...

16. Best of Copywriting & SEO: Content, Copywriting & SEO Course

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17. Business Analytics

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19. Become a Freelance Content Writer - Get Paid to Write Online

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20. Best of Content Marketing, SEO & Copywriting + 23 Templates

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Top 10 most affordable universities for content directors

The most affordable schools for content directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for content 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 content directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for content directors

The hardest universities for content directors to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for content 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 content 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,347

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

The easiest schools for content directors to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, oklahoma wesleyan university, and gwynedd mercy university.

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

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

8. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

9. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

Average content director salary by education level

According to our data, content directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $159,852 annually. Content directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $153,037.
Content director education levelContent director salary
Master's Degree$153,037
Bachelor's Degree$135,274
Doctorate Degree$159,852

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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