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Customer service director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a customer service director. Customer service directors usually study business, management, or marketing. 69% of customer service directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,321 real customer service director resumes to see exactly what customer service director education sections show.

The most common colleges for customer service directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain customer service director certifications that you should consider. These customer service director certifications include Certified Manager Certification (CM) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

What education do you need to become a customer service director?

What degree do you need to be a customer service director?

The most common degree for customer service directors is bachelor's degree, with 69% of customer service directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Associate, 14%
  • Master's, 11%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a customer service director?

You should major in business to become a customer service director. 41% of customer service directors major in business. Other common majors for a customer service director include management and marketing.

Most common colleges for customer service directors

Customer service directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ohio State University, and Northeastern University. Here are the most common colleges for customer service directors in the US based on their resumes.
Customer service director common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix18.32%
Ohio State University6.96%
Northeastern University6.59%
San Diego State University5.49%
University of Maryland - College Park5.49%

Best majors for customer service directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business40.9%
2Management6.6%
3Marketing6.4%
4Communication4.7%
5Psychology4.3%

Best colleges for customer service directors

The best colleges for customer service directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A customer service 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 customer service 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 customer service directors.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

9. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for customer service directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for customer service directors

The most affordable schools for customer service directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and university of florida.

If the best universities for customer service 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 customer service directors.

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

8. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for customer service directors

The hardest universities for customer service directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for customer service 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 customer service 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for customer service directors

The easiest schools for customer service directors to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.

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

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average customer service director salary by education level

Customer service directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $187,374 annually. With a Master's degree, customer service directors earn a median annual income of $175,597 compared to $156,299 for customer service directors with an Bachelor's degree.
Customer service director education levelCustomer service director salary
Master's Degree$175,597
High School Diploma or Less$133,908
Bachelor's Degree$156,299
Doctorate Degree$187,374
Some College/ Associate Degree$138,371

Customer service director education FAQs

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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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