Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Creative manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a creative manager. Creative managers usually study graphic design, fine arts, or communication. 80% of creative managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,271 real creative manager resumes to see exactly what creative manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for creative managers are the School of Visual Arts and the School of Visual Arts.
There are also many online creative manager courses to help get the education required to be a creative manager.
What education do you need to become a creative manager?
What degree do you need to be a creative manager?
- Bachelor's, 80%
- Associate, 11%
- Master's, 6%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a creative manager?
- Graphic Design, 31%
- Fine Arts, 10%
- Communication, 8%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for creative managers
| Creative manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| School of Visual Arts | 9.79% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 6.29% |
| San Francisco State University | 5.59% |
| Pratt Institute | 5.59% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 5.59% |
Best majors for creative managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 31.0% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 9.6% |
| 3 | Communication | 8.4% |
| 4 | Design And Visual Communication | 6.3% |
| 5 | Business | 6.2% |
Best colleges for creative managers
The best colleges for creative managers are Northeastern University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
A creative 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 creative 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 creative managers.
1. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
2. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
3. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
4. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
5. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
6. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,620
Enrollment
27,730
20 best online courses for creative managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Product Management (Part Time)
Balance business viability, technical feasibility, and customer desire to lead products and features toward long-term success. Learn from a seasoned expert. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
2. Digital Marketing (Part Time)
Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Predictive Analytics for Business
Learn to apply predictive analytics and business intelligence to solve real-world business problems...
4. Marketing Analytics
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. Creativity And Entrepreneurship
Creativity & Entrepreneurship will help you tap into your inner creativity and learn how to leverage it for career development or business innovation. Presented by Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship founder Panos Panay, this course features interviews with world renown entrepreneurs, innovators, songwriters, producers, creative directors, educators, performers, visual artists and chefs as they discuss parallels between the creative and entrepreneurial journeys. The course...
6. Creativity Toolkit II: Creative Collaboration
Creativity requires us to collaborate with others, and this course helps you be a better creative collaborator. We need to be able to pitch our creative ideas so that others are excited rather than baffled or dismissive by them. We need to be able to evaluate the ideas of others so we identify rather than miss creative solutions. We need to be able to work with our teams such that creativity thrives rather than is suppressed. This course addresses each of these needs, identifying challenges and...
7. Creativity Course by a Creativity Coach Art & Innovation
Creativity & Innovation for Innovators, Artists, Entrepreneurs, Writers, & Students - By a Professional Creativity Coach...
8. Adobe Creative Cloud Ultimate Guide
Adobe Creative Cloud Ultimate A-Z Guide. Go From Basic to Advanced with Creative Cloud and 10 Projects From Scratch...
9. Product Manager
Envision and lead the product strategy of industry-defining products, and learn to successfully bring them to market. Influence the execution of product development as a Product Manager, one of the most highly-coveted roles in technology...
10. Data Product Manager
Leverage data to build products that deliver the right experiences, to the right users, at the right time. Lead the development of data-driven products that position businesses to win in their market...
11. Creativity and AI
The Creativity and AI Specialization explores what it means to be creative in the 21st century. Through a hands-on approach, you will discover the creative potential of AI and learn design methods to expand your creative capacity. These courses are designed for those with technical backgrounds who want to look at their fields from a new perspective and those in creative professions who want to better understand AI and its implications in their industries...
12. 365 Days of Creativity
A totally new learning experience that will teach you 365 creative skills...
13. Creative Thinking: How to Think More Creatively
Learn to Use Mind Mapping and Creative Problem Solving...
14. Digital Marketing
Gain real-world experience running live campaigns as you learn from top experts in the field. Launch your career with a 360-degree understanding of digital marketing...
15. AI for Business Leaders
Master the foundations of artificial intelligence so you can strategically implement AI in your company. Leverage machine learning technologies to power corporate growth, increase efficiency, and enhance customer experiences...
16. Creative Thinking Exercises: Improve Your Creative Thinking
Creative exercises to boost your creativity and brainstorm new ideas with design thinking, writing & drawing exercises...
17. Creativity, Design Thinking, and Innovation for Business
Creativity that Create an Innovative Corporate Culture Using Design Thinking & Problem Solving for the Workplace...
18. Business Analytics
In this program, you will learn foundational data skills that apply across functions and industries. You will learn to analyze data and build models with Excel, query databases using SQL, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
19. AI Product Manager
Learn to develop AI products that deliver business value. Build skills that help you compete in the new AI-powered world...
20. Creative Problem Solving Tools
Creative Strategies for Solving Problems...
Top 10 most affordable universities for creative managers
The most affordable schools for creative managers are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and florida state university.
If the best universities for creative 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 creative managers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative managers
The hardest universities for creative managers to get into are Northeastern University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for creative 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 creative 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
Admissions rate
49%
SAT average
1,347
9. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
1,365
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,362
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative managers
The easiest schools for creative managers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, notre dame de namur university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative 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 creative managers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
Average creative manager salary by education level
| Creative manager education level | Creative manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $100,660 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $90,029 |
| Doctorate Degree | $104,707 |
Creative manager education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for creative manager jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025