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Director of quality management education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a director of quality management. Directors of quality management usually study nursing, business, or psychology. 56% of directors of quality management hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,910 real director of quality management resumes to see exactly what director of quality management education sections show.

The most common colleges for directors of quality management are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online director of quality management courses to help get the education required to be a director of quality management.

There are certain director of quality management certifications that you should consider. These director of quality management certifications include Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and Master Quality Manager (MQM).

What education do you need to become a director of quality management?

What degree do you need to be a director of quality management?

The most common degree for directors of quality management is bachelor's degree, with 56% of directors of quality management earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a director of quality management?

You should major in nursing to become a director of quality management. 41% of directors of quality management major in nursing. Other common majors for a director of quality management include business and psychology.

Most common colleges for directors of quality management

Directors of quality management often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for directors of quality management in the US based on their resumes.
Director of quality management common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix19.90%
New York University7.14%
Pennsylvania State University6.12%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill5.61%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey5.10%

Best majors for directors of quality management

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing40.5%
2Business16.0%
3Psychology6.2%
4Health Care Administration4.6%
5Management3.1%

Best colleges for directors of quality management

The best colleges for directors of quality management are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A director of quality management 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 of quality management. 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 of quality management.

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for directors of quality management

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4. ISO 9001:2015 Quality management system auditor

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6. Certified Manager of Quality Training

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7. ISO9001 Quality Management System

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Learn why your business should be using Quality Management TODAY and create your own QMS (Quality Management System)...

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10. Kaizen Practitioner Masterclass for Quality Management.

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Plain and Simple Clause by Clause Explanation of ISO 9001:2015 QMS Standard & Implementation Strategies...

13. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM

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14. Quality Systems, Models and Theories

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15. ISO 9001, Quality Management and Strategic Thinking Training

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16. ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor Course

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17. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

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18. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

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Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

19. The Agile Methodology for Project Risk Managers

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The Agile Project Management and Risk Management for Project Professionals Full Course...

20. Cost of Quality Analysis and Reporting using Microsoft Excel

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Expertly collect, analyze and present quality cost data (using Microsoft Excel) to help drive continual improvement...

Top 10 most affordable universities for directors of quality management

The most affordable schools for directors of quality management are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for directors of quality management 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 of quality management.

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for directors of quality management

The hardest universities for directors of quality management to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for directors of quality management 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 of quality management 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for directors of quality management

The easiest schools for directors of quality management to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a director of quality management 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 of quality management.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average director of quality management salary by education level

According to our data, directors of quality management with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $144,745 annually. Directors of quality management with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $126,090.
Director of quality management education levelDirector of quality management salary
Master's Degree$144,745
High School Diploma or Less$102,292
Bachelor's Degree$126,090
Some College/ Associate Degree$109,981

Director of quality management education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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