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Corporate secretary education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a corporate secretary. Corporate secretaries usually study business, accounting, or law. 53% of corporate secretaries hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,721 real corporate secretary resumes to see exactly what corporate secretary education sections show.
The most common colleges for corporate secretaries are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online corporate secretary courses to help get the education required to be a corporate secretary.
There are certain corporate secretary certifications that you should consider. These corporate secretary certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What education do you need to become a corporate secretary?
What degree do you need to be a corporate secretary?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Associate, 18%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 12%
What should I major in to become a corporate secretary?
- Business, 31%
- Accounting, 17%
- Law, 10%
- Finance, 4%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for corporate secretaries
| Corporate secretary common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 8.26% |
| New York Law School | 7.34% |
| Georgetown University | 6.42% |
| Georgia State University | 6.42% |
| New York University | 5.50% |
Best majors for corporate secretaries
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 30.6% |
| 2 | Accounting | 16.5% |
| 3 | Law | 10.1% |
| 4 | Finance | 4.4% |
| 5 | Legal Support Services | 4.4% |
Best colleges for corporate secretaries
The best colleges for corporate secretaries are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A corporate secretary 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 secretaries. 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 secretaries.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for corporate secretaries
Advertising disclosure
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Gain Financial Insights and Make Informed Decisions with Ratio Analysis in Corporate Finance...
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Minute Taking: making the taking of notes/minutes at formal and informal meetings easier...
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Learn everything you need to know to build an effective and powerful compliance culture and prevent corporate fraud...
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Unlocking Financial Insights for Informed Decision-Making and Valuation Strategies: An In-Depth Course...
13. Corporate ESG and Sustainability - 101 Level Masterclass
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16. Leading Effective Meetings - You Can Lead Effective Meetings
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17. S Corporation Income Tax - Form 1120S
Learn to enter tax data for an S Corporation into Form 1120S from a CPA...
18. Audit - Financial Statement
Master the Art of Auditing Financial Statements: In-Depth Analysis, Techniques, and Real-World Case Studies...
19. MBA ASAP Corporate Finance Fundamentals for Career Success
Concepts & Tools of Financial Analysis, Valuation, Investing, Money Management, and Decision Making. DCF,NPV, IRR & more...
20. Lean Enterprise: Corporate Innovation Certification
New Best Practices for Corporate Innovation...
Top 10 most affordable universities for corporate secretaries
The most affordable schools for corporate secretaries are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for corporate secretaries 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 secretaries.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
9. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for corporate secretaries
The hardest universities for corporate secretaries to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for corporate secretaries 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 secretaries 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for corporate secretaries
The easiest schools for corporate secretaries to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a corporate secretary 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 secretaries.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
8. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
9. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average corporate secretary salary by education level
| Corporate secretary education level | Corporate secretary salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $110,250 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $95,685 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $104,134 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $97,495 |
Corporate secretary education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025