Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
Director Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a director. Directors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 64% of directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 153,575 real director resumes to see exactly what director education sections show.
The most common colleges for directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online director courses to help get the education required to be a director.
There are certain director certifications that you should consider. These director certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a director?
What degree do you need to be a director?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 10%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a director?
- Business, 25%
- Psychology, 8%
- Communication, 6%
- Accounting, 5%
- Other Majors, 56%
Most common colleges for directors
| Director Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.71% |
| New York University | 8.34% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.67% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.09% |
| Ohio State University | 5.06% |
Best majors for directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.5% |
| 2 | Psychology | 7.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 6.0% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.4% |
| 5 | Political Science | 5.2% |
Best colleges for directors
The best colleges for directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A 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 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 directors.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,478
Enrollment
979
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
20 best online courses for directors
Advertising Disclosure
1. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources
Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...
2. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0
Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...
3. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed
HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...
4. Certification Course in Human Resource Management
Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...
5. Human Resources (HR) as a Business Partner
This course provides valuable information on how Human Resource Business Partnering (HRBP) operates in practice...
6. Lean BPM - Lean Business Process Management Change Skills
Lean BPM - learn how to use lean business management techniques to reduce waste and improve your business efficiency...
7. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course
Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...
8. Introduction to Human Resource Management
HRM is an important function of any organization. It includes managing people in a structured and thorough manner...
9. Stress management for business owners, directors & managers
Reduce & manage stress at work & in business & build stress resilience, with 50+ practical stress management strategies...
10. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)
Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...
11. Retail for Business Analysts and Management Consultants
A practical guide with cases studies how to analyze and improve a retail business during management consulting projects...
12. HR as a Strategic Business Partner
Better understand your value and role as a strategic business partner...
13. The Complete Project Management Fundamentals Course + CERT
Project Management Certification to get in an industry that is adding 1.5 million jobs each year: Project Management...
14. Master Course in Project Management 2.0
Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...
15. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants
How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...
16. Business Continuity Management BCMS & ISO 22301 Masterclass
How to plan and prepare for unforeseen business disruption events through an effective, dynamic Business Continuity Plan...
17. Restaurant Management - Human Resources Best Practices
Learn the best systems to find, develop and keep the best employees to run a profitable restaurant...
18. Payroll Management
Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...
19. FMCG for Management Consultants and Business Analysts
A practical guide on how to analyze in Excel and improve consumer goods business during consulting projects...
20. Performance Improvement Projects for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to conduct consulting projects on the level of Mc Kinsey, Bain, BCG, Pw C...
Top 10 most affordable universities for directors
The most affordable schools for directors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for 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 directors.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,262
Cost of Attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,942
Cost of Attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,240
Cost of Attendance
13,991
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,238
Cost of Attendance
21,567
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,587
Cost of Attendance
13,043
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Cost of Attendance
22,990
10. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,419
Cost of Attendance
17,697
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for directors
The hardest universities for directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for 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 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
13%
SAT Average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,407
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
43%
SAT Average
1,338
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
40%
SAT Average
1,376
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
31%
SAT Average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for directors
The easiest schools for directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a 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 directors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
70%
SAT Average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
1,061
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
999
7. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
94%
SAT Average
979
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
100%
SAT Average
1,072
9. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions Rate
97%
SAT Average
1,050
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions Rate
96%
SAT Average
1,139
Average director salary by education level
| Director education level | Director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $125,920 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $113,356 |
Director Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025