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Diversity manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a diversity manager. Diversity managers usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 72% of diversity managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 371 real diversity manager resumes to see exactly what diversity manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for diversity managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online diversity manager courses to help get the education required to be a diversity manager.
There are certain diversity manager certifications that you should consider. These diversity manager certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a diversity manager?
What degree do you need to be a diversity manager?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Master's, 22%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 0%
What should I major in to become a diversity manager?
- Business, 33%
- Psychology, 7%
- Management, 6%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for diversity managers
| Diversity manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.43% |
| New York University | 7.46% |
| University of South Florida | 5.97% |
| Ohio State University | 5.97% |
| University of Virginia | 5.97% |
Best majors for diversity managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 33.5% |
| 2 | Human Resources Management | 6.9% |
| 3 | Psychology | 6.5% |
| 4 | Management | 6.1% |
| 5 | Marketing | 6.1% |
Best colleges for diversity managers
The best colleges for diversity managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
A diversity 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 diversity 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 diversity managers.
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. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
10. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
20 best online courses for diversity managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Achieving Supplier Diversity
If you are interested in learning more about supplier diversity and how to achieve it, then I encourage you to take this course. It is a valuable resource that will help you develop and implement a successful supplier diversity program that benefits your organization and the communities you serve. Learners will benefit from completing the course by: • Gaining a comprehensive understanding of supplier diversity and its benefits. • Learning how to develop and implement a successful supplier...
2. Recruiting for Diversity and Inclusion
Recruitment is an integral part of an organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy. Effective recruitment strategies ensure a workforce reflects a company’s customer base and the communities where it operates. Such strategies also capitalize on the benefits of employees’ diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. In this specialization, you will gain a unique combination of analytical, communication and leadership skills. These will serve as practical tools that enable you to...
3. Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace
Fostering Diversity & Inclusion, Mitigating Unconscious Bias, and Advancing Global Cultural Competence...
4. Inclusive Leadership: Working with Equality and Diversity
Leading with Diversity & Inclusion: Building Strong Teams Addressing Unconscious Bias with Emotional Intelligence...
5. Diversity and Inclusion: Developing A Strategy
PART 1: Job Design, Selection Criteria, Sourcing and Attracting Talent The first step in a recruitment strategy for developing a diverse and inclusive workforce commences with the decision that a job or role is needed, either an existing or new position. In this course, you will learn that unconscious bias is often most evident in the language of job descriptions, selection criteria, and job advertisements. The words and phrases used when writing these materials can unintentionally make certain...
6. Organizational Leadership in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Many courses in the diversity, equity and inclusion field acquaint the learner with definitions and concepts that are commonly shared in the field but not much strategy to implement such efforts. The Organizational Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODE&I) specialization introduces concepts and strategies that foster greater DE&I effectiveness across organizational planning, programming, training and assessment. The goal of this course is to offer emerging DE&I Practitioners tools,...
7. A Deep-Dive into Diversity and Inclusion, for Leadership!
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Research Insights, Lessons, and Strategies, for Leaders and Managers...
8. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Beginner's Guide
Practical strategies for developing your company's global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion function...
9. Understanding Diversity and Inclusion
This course will serve as a "deep dive" into the concepts and trends related to diversity and inclusion. One of the barriers to sustained organizational effectiveness in this area has been identified as a superficial understanding of diversity and inclusion. Therefore, this course will provide you with the foundational knowledge that will assist you in developing a successful diversity and inclusion recruitment strategy. The course will explore diversity from three perspectives: Global,...
10. The Journey to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
This 4-course specialization begins with "Fundamentals of Diversity," taught by Professor Celia de Anca. The first course introduces the three key types of diversity: demographic, experiential, and cognitive. The course then dives more specifically into the demographic component of diversity and addresses the challenges of managing diversity in organizations.\n\nThe second course of the specialization, "Cognitive and Experiential Diversity" taught by Salvador Aragón, takes a novel approach to...
11. Diversity & Inclusion: Building a Grassroots Foundation
Practical strategies for building an organizational culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging...
12. Diversity Equity & Inclusion Hiring, Recruiting, & Sourcing
A comprehensive guide to sourcing a diverse talent pool and designing an equitable and inclusive hiring process...
13. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Organizational Leaders
In the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Organizational Leaders specialization, you will learn about the ideas, texts, resources, strategies, practices, and critical perspectives you need to build a DEI-oriented company culture. You’ll start by exploring the foundational concepts that inform diversity, equity, and inclusion: origins of power, privilege, bias, stereotypes, social identities, and justice. Then you will learn how to articulate the reasons diversity, equity, and inclusion are...
14. Fundamentals of Diversity
"The Fundamentals of Diversity" is the first course in IE University's specialization titled "The Journey to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging." This course will provide learners with the basic tools to navigate diversity and diverse organizations. Throughout the course, learners will analyze how to promote diversity across demographic categories such as gender, ethnicity, race, disability, age, and physical appearance. The course will also empower learners to identify the challenges posed by...
15. Navigate Diversity
Diversity enriches the workplace, as long as everyone is respectful. Assert yourself & leverage diversity on your team...
16. A Beginner's Guide to Managing Diverse Teams
Become a better people manager with your own Inclusive Leader Growth Plan...
17. Diversity and Inclusion in Education
Student diversity is becoming the rule rather than the exception in education systems across the world. Students bring to classroom different characteristics such as ability and disability, socio-economic background, race, ethnicity, and cultural background, beliefs and religion, and gender characteristics. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (United Nations, 2015)...
18. Cognitive and Experiential Diversity
"Cognitive and Experiential Diversity" is the second course in the specialization titled "The Journey to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging." This course takes a novel approach to understanding diversity by exploring the nature of cognitive and experiential diversity. Understanding these "invisible" forms of diversity is essential for an organization to thrive, and fostering this diversity among members of an organization will drive innovation and disruption. Join us on this course to expand...
19. Manage Diversity
Gain the tools you need to encourage positive interactions and coach your team to the next level...
20. Unconscious Bias: Fuel Diversity and Become a Better You
Defeat unconscious bias and build diversity and inclusion into your life even if it seems impossible right now!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for diversity managers
The most affordable schools for diversity managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for diversity 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 diversity 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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
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 diversity managers
The hardest universities for diversity managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for diversity 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 diversity 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for diversity managers
The easiest schools for diversity managers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a diversity 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 diversity 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. 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. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
9. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
10. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
Average diversity manager salary by education level
| Diversity manager education level | Diversity manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $106,930 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $96,363 |
| Doctorate Degree | $111,003 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $82,221 |
Diversity manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025