Post job

Director of workforce development education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a director of workforce development. Directors of workforce development usually study business, psychology, or political science. 62% of directors of workforce development hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 403 real director of workforce development resumes to see exactly what director of workforce development education sections show.

The most common colleges for directors of workforce development are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain director of workforce development certifications that you should consider. These director of workforce development certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

What education do you need to become a director of workforce development?

What degree do you need to be a director of workforce development?

The most common degree for directors of workforce development is bachelor's degree, with 62% of directors of workforce development earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 29% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Master's, 29%
  • Associate, 5%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a director of workforce development?

You should major in business to become a director of workforce development. 23% of directors of workforce development major in business. Other common majors for a director of workforce development include psychology and political science.

Most common colleges for directors of workforce development

Directors of workforce development often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, City College of New York of the City University of New York, The, and Troy University. Here are the most common colleges for directors of workforce development in the US based on their resumes.
Director of workforce development common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.84%
City College of New York of the City University of New York, The8.20%
Troy University8.20%
University of Pittsburgh6.56%
University of Florida4.92%

Best majors for directors of workforce development

RankMajorPercentages
1Business23.2%
2Psychology10.4%
3Political Science7.1%
4Communication5.4%
5Education5.4%

Best colleges for directors of workforce development

The best colleges for directors of workforce development are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A director of workforce development 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 workforce development. 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 workforce development.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

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. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

20 best online courses for directors of workforce development

Advertising disclosure

1. Salesforce Development Training for Beginners

udemy
4.5
(7,242)

Salesforce Development :Learn about Apex programming and Salesforce development. Become a Salesforce Developer...

2. Career Coaching Certification in Career Development Coaching

udemy
4
(1,988)

Career Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Ready-To-Work Professionals in Holistic Career Development Career Coaching...

3. Android Development: Android App Development From Scratch

udemy
4.5
(261)

Learn java, android, android studio, android development and android app development with Android 11, become a developer...

4. Personal Development Life Coach Certification1 Training

udemy
4.8
(869)

Personal Development Life Coach Training Course Graduates Prepared Professionals in Personal Development Life Coaching...

5. Salesforce Development for Intermediate Developers

udemy
4.8
(309)

Become a Salesforce Developer by learning Apex Programming. Learn about Integration, REST webservices, Testing framework...

6. Boost Your Career Success by Developing Your Soft Skills

udemy
4.4
(13,357)

Assess your personal development skill gaps with the Success@Work Model. Create your action plan to boost career success...

7. Introduction to Learning and Development

udemy
4.5
(3,100)

Become a confident people development practitioner and knowledgeable in Human Resource Development...

8. Business Strategy Development: The Art of Differentiation

udemy
4.5
(3,084)

Learn 3 key business strategy tools. Improve your business innovation skills and drive profitable business development...

9. Web Development Concepts for Everyone

udemy
4.6
(538)

Complex Web Development Topics, Broken Down into Easy to Understand Concepts...

10. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources

udemy
4.4
(1,449)

Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...

11. The Web Developer Bootcamp 2023

udemy
4.7
(265,225)

10 Hours of React just added. Become a Developer With ONE course - HTML, CSS, Java Script, React, Node, Mongo DB and More!...

12. Kotlin Android Development Masterclass

udemy
4.3
(1,016)

Learn Kotlin, Android Development, Android Studio & Intelli J IDEA from Scratch. Build Android Apps using Kotlin...

13. Web Development Professional Certification

udemy
4.3
(429)

Web Development Certification by The Retail Banking School and preparing for certification at other providers...

14. Go: The Complete Developer's Guide to Golang: 4-in-1

udemy
4.2
(268)

Become a Full-Stack Golang Developer - Learn everything from Front & Back-End Programming to deployment...

15. Android App Development Master Course with Java Android

udemy
4.3
(431)

Android Java Learn Android App Development java with Android Studio & Java to master your android development skills...

16. Introduction to Web Development

udemy
4.2
(2,127)

Are you Interested in Learning Web Development? Enroll in this Free course for a Dynamic Introduction to the Profession!...

17. Business Mind - Mastering Business Development

udemy
4.4
(303)

Master in Practice the Product, Sales and Marketing Perspective of Business Development...

18. Web Development w/ Google's Go (golang) Programming Language

udemy
4.6
(7,319)

Learn Web Programming from a University Professor in Computer Science with over 20 years of teaching experience...

19. Android App Development with Kotlin Beginner to Advanced

udemy
4.6
(1,069)

Kotlin Android App Development with Kotlin Android A-Z, Firebase Android, Android Studio, Android Development projects...

20. Get a Job As a Web Developer: A Step-by-Step Guide

udemy
4.8
(260)

Tips, tricks and industry secrets to help you land that web development job! A step-by-step guide to getting hired...

Top 10 most affordable universities for directors of workforce development

The most affordable schools for directors of workforce development are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for directors of workforce development 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 workforce development.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for directors of workforce development

The hardest universities for directors of workforce development to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for directors of workforce development 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 workforce development 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

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for directors of workforce development

The easiest schools for directors of workforce development to get into are Barry University, wayland baptist university, and holy names university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average director of workforce development salary by education level

Directors of workforce development with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $114,149 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, directors of workforce development earn a median annual income of $114,114 compared to $101,716 for directors of workforce development with an Associate degree.
Director of workforce development education levelDirector of workforce development salary
Master's Degree$114,149
High School Diploma or Less$92,318
Bachelor's Degree$114,114
Some College/ Associate Degree$101,716

Director of workforce development education FAQs

Search for director of workforce development jobs

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.

Browse executive management jobs