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Department director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a department director. Department directors usually study business, nursing, or psychology. 57% of department directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,067 real department director resumes to see exactly what department director education sections show.
The most common colleges for department directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online department director courses to help get the education required to be a department director.
There are certain department director certifications that you should consider. These department director certifications include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).
What education do you need to become a department director?
What degree do you need to be a department director?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 12%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a department director?
- Business, 20%
- Nursing, 18%
- Psychology, 7%
- Accounting, 6%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for department directors
| Department director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.81% |
| New York University | 9.96% |
| University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus | 7.83% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 4.98% |
| Western Washington University | 4.63% |
Best majors for department directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 20.3% |
| 2 | Nursing | 17.6% |
| 3 | Psychology | 6.9% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.6% |
| 5 | Political Science | 4.4% |
Best colleges for department directors
The best colleges for department directors are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.
A department 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 department 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 department directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
7. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,700
Enrollment
29,722
10. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
20 best online courses for department directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for department directors
The most affordable schools for department directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for department 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 department directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
10. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for department directors
The hardest universities for department directors to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.
Some great schools for department 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 department 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for department directors
The easiest schools for department directors to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a department 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 department directors.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
9. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
10. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
Average department director salary by education level
| Department director education level | Department director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $118,467 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $103,820 |
| Doctorate Degree | $140,480 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $93,361 |
Department director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025