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Gallery director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a gallery director. Gallery directors usually study fine arts, business, or graphic design. 72% of gallery directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 890 real gallery director resumes to see exactly what gallery director education sections show.
The most common colleges for gallery directors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online gallery director courses to help get the education required to be a gallery director.
What education do you need to become a gallery director?
What degree do you need to be a gallery director?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Master's, 15%
- Associate, 10%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a gallery director?
- Fine Arts, 46%
- Business, 9%
- Graphic Design, 9%
- Photography, 5%
- Other Majors, 31%
Most common colleges for gallery directors
| Gallery director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 11.50% |
| Temple University | 7.08% |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 6.19% |
| Arizona State University | 6.19% |
| The University of the Arts | 5.31% |
Best majors for gallery directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine Arts | 46.2% |
| 2 | Business | 9.1% |
| 3 | Graphic Design | 8.9% |
| 4 | Photography | 4.8% |
| 5 | Marketing | 3.5% |
Best colleges for gallery directors
The best colleges for gallery directors are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A gallery 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 gallery 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 gallery directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
10. University of Maryland - Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$11,778
Enrollment
11,156
20 best online courses for gallery directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for gallery directors
The most affordable schools for gallery directors are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for gallery 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 gallery directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
4. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for gallery directors
The hardest universities for gallery directors to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for gallery 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 gallery 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for gallery directors
The easiest schools for gallery directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a gallery 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 gallery directors.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
Average gallery director salary by education level
| Gallery director education level | Gallery director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $91,750 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $60,792 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $89,382 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $69,936 |
Gallery director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025