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Creative services director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a creative services director. Creative services directors usually study graphic design, communication, or fine arts. 78% of creative services directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,606 real creative services director resumes to see exactly what creative services director education sections show.
The most common colleges for creative services directors are the School of Visual Arts and the School of Visual Arts.
There are also many online creative services director courses to help get the education required to be a creative services director.
There are certain creative services director certifications that you should consider. These creative services director certifications include Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become a creative services director?
What degree do you need to be a creative services director?
- Bachelor's, 78%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a creative services director?
- Graphic Design, 23%
- Communication, 15%
- Fine Arts, 8%
- Journalism, 6%
- Other Majors, 48%
Most common colleges for creative services directors
| Creative services director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| School of Visual Arts | 10.00% |
| Texas Tech University | 5.79% |
| Northern Illinois University | 5.79% |
| New York University | 5.26% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 5.26% |
Best majors for creative services directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 22.6% |
| 2 | Communication | 15.3% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 7.7% |
| 4 | Journalism | 6.5% |
| 5 | Marketing | 6.3% |
Best colleges for creative services directors
The best colleges for creative services directors are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A creative services 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 creative services 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 creative services directors.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. SUNY College at Cortland
Cortland, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,536
Enrollment
6,325
20 best online courses for creative services directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for creative services directors
The most affordable schools for creative services directors are University of Florida, lehman college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for creative services 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 creative services directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative services directors
The hardest universities for creative services directors to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for creative services 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 creative services 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative services directors
The easiest schools for creative services directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and curry college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative services 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 creative services directors.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
Average creative services director salary by education level
| Creative services director education level | Creative services director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $119,190 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $99,141 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $117,804 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $105,556 |
Creative services director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025