Department lead education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a department lead. Department leads usually study business, general studies, or accounting. 39% of department leads hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 10,869 real department lead resumes to see exactly what department lead education sections show.

The most common colleges for department leads are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online department lead courses to help get the education required to be a department lead.

What education do you need to become a department lead?

What degree do you need to be a department lead?

The most common degree for department leads is bachelor's degree, with 39% of department leads earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 24% and high school diploma degree at 22%.

Bachelor's, 39%

High School Diploma, 24%

Associate, 22%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a department lead?

You should major in business to become a department lead. 28% of department leads major in business. Other common majors for a department lead include general studies and accounting.

Business, 28%

General Studies, 7%

Accounting, 5%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for department leads

Department leads often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for department leads in the US based on their resumes.

Department lead common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	22.63%
DeVry University	6.05%
Pennsylvania State University	5.26%
University of Houston	5.26%
California State University - San Bernardino	4.74%

Show more common department lead colleges

Best majors for department leads

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	27.8%
2	General Studies	7.5%
3	Accounting	5.3%
4	Psychology	4.9%
5	Communication	4.8%

Show more common department lead majors

Best colleges for department leads

The best colleges for department leads are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A department lead 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 leads. 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 leads.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for department leads

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Top 10 most affordable universities for department leads

The most affordable schools for department leads are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for department leads 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 leads.

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. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

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 department leads

The hardest universities for department leads to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for department leads 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 leads 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for department leads

The easiest schools for department leads to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a department lead 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 leads.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average department lead salary by education level

Department leads with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $63,283 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, department leads earn a median annual income of $54,080 compared to $42,912 for department leads with an Associate degree.

Department lead education level	Department lead salary
Master's Degree	$63,283
High School Diploma or Less	$40,536
Bachelor's Degree	$54,080
Some College/ Associate Degree	$42,912

Department lead education FAQs

What is the best college for Department Leads?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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