Development Associate Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a development associate. Development associates usually study business, communication, or political science. 77% of development associates hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 9,257 real development associate resumes to see exactly what development associate education sections show.

The most common colleges for development associates are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online development associate courses to help get the education required to be a development associate.

There are certain development associate certifications that you should consider. These development associate certifications include Certified Manager Certification (CM) and Child Development Associate (CDA).

What education do you need to become a development associate?

What degree do you need to be a development associate?

The most common degree for development associates is bachelor's degree, with 77% of development associates earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 77%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 6%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a development associate?

You should major in business to become a development associate. 20% of development associates major in business. Other common majors for a development associate include communication and political science.

Business, 20%

Communication, 10%

Political Science, 8%

Psychology, 7%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for development associates

Development associates often get their degrees at New York University, University of California - Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for development associates in the US based on their resumes.

Development Associate Common College	Percentages
New York University	11.49%
University of California - Davis	6.37%
University of California, Santa Barbara	6.37%
George Washington University, The	5.85%
Pennsylvania State University	5.33%

Show more common development associate colleges

Best majors for development associates

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	20.2%
2	Communication	9.9%
3	Political Science	8.4%
4	Psychology	7.0%
5	English	7.0%

Show more common development associate majors

Best colleges for development associates

The best colleges for development associates are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

A development associate with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for development associates. 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 development associates.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for development associates

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Top 10 most affordable universities for development associates

The most affordable schools for development associates are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for development associates 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 development associates.

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 - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Cost of Attendance

18,306

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Cost of Attendance

21,034

6. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,491

Cost of Attendance

19,075

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,656

Cost of Attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

9. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,338

Cost of Attendance

14,281

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Cost of Attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for development associates

The hardest universities for development associates to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

Some great schools for development associates 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 development associates 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

SAT Average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

SAT Average

1,492

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

22%

SAT Average

1,420

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

SAT Average

1,520

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,506

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions Rate

42%

SAT Average

1,380

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

19%

SAT Average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for development associates

The easiest schools for development associates to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and ottawa university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a development associate 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 development associates.

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. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions Rate

78%

SAT Average

1,024

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

70%

SAT Average

849

5. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions Rate

71%

SAT Average

1,035

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions Rate

90%

SAT Average

994

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

86%

SAT Average

991

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

93%

SAT Average

994

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

93%

SAT Average

1,002

Average development associate salary by education level

According to our data, development associates with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $85,680 annually. Development associates with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $76,948.

Development Associate education level	Development Associate salary
Master's Degree	$85,680
High School Diploma or Less	$61,570
Bachelor's Degree	$76,948
Some College/ Associate Degree	$67,436

Development Associate Education FAQs

What is the best college for Development Associates?

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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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