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Corporate development director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a corporate development director. Corporate development directors usually study business, finance, or economics. 67% of corporate development directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,382 real corporate development director resumes to see exactly what corporate development director education sections show.
The most common colleges for corporate development directors are the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania.
There are also many online corporate development director courses to help get the education required to be a corporate development director.
There are certain corporate development director certifications that you should consider. These corporate development director certifications include Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA;) and Project Management Professional (PMP).
What education do you need to become a corporate development director?
What degree do you need to be a corporate development director?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a corporate development director?
Most common colleges for corporate development directors
| Corporate development director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | 9.34% |
| New York University | 7.14% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.04% |
| University of Connecticut | 5.49% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 4.95% |
Best majors for corporate development directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 28.5% |
| 2 | Finance | 14.3% |
| 3 | Economics | 6.8% |
| 4 | Marketing | 6.2% |
| 5 | Political Science | 6.0% |
Best colleges for corporate development directors
The best colleges for corporate development directors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
A corporate development 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 corporate development 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 corporate development 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 Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for corporate development directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for corporate development directors
The most affordable schools for corporate development directors are University of Florida, usf sarasota-manatee, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for corporate development 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 corporate development directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for corporate development directors
The hardest universities for corporate development directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for corporate development 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 corporate development 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for corporate development directors
The easiest schools for corporate development directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a corporate development 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 corporate development directors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
8. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
Average corporate development director salary by education level
| Corporate development director education level | Corporate development director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $186,236 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $165,295 |
| Doctorate Degree | $194,249 |
Corporate development director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025