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Department manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a department manager. Department managers usually study business, general studies, or accounting. 46% of department managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 97,695 real department manager resumes to see exactly what department manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for department managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online department manager courses to help get the education required to be a department manager.
There are certain department manager certifications that you should consider. These department manager certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a department manager?
What degree do you need to be a department manager?
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Associate, 22%
- High School Diploma, 20%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a department manager?
- Business, 35%
- General Studies, 6%
- Accounting, 5%
- Psychology, 5%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for department managers
| Department manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 24.63% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.42% |
| Ohio State University | 5.19% |
| DeVry University | 4.71% |
| Western Washington University | 4.26% |
Best majors for department managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 34.9% |
| 2 | General Studies | 5.7% |
| 3 | Accounting | 5.4% |
| 4 | Psychology | 5.2% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 5.0% |
Best colleges for department managers
The best colleges for department managers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A department 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 department 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 department managers.
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 managers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for department managers
The most affordable schools for department managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for department 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 department managers.
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 managers
The hardest universities for department managers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for department 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 department 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
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 managers
The easiest schools for department managers 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 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 department managers.
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 manager salary by education level
| Department manager education level | Department manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $94,786 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $65,026 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $82,986 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $68,237 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025