General director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a general director. General directors usually study business, marketing, or law. 55% of general directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,348 real general director resumes to see exactly what general director education sections show.

The most common colleges for general directors are the Central State University and the Central State University.

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

What education do you need to become a general director?

What degree do you need to be a general director?

The most common degree for general directors is bachelor's degree, with 55% of general directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 26% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 55%

Master's, 26%

Doctorate, 7%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a general director?

You should major in business to become a general director. 30% of general directors major in business. Other common majors for a general director include marketing and law.

Business, 30%

Marketing, 7%

Law, 6%

Political Science, 6%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for general directors

General directors often get their degrees at Central State University, Texas A&M; University, and Northeastern University. Here are the most common colleges for general directors in the US based on their resumes.

General director common college	Percentages
Central State University	11.01%
Texas A&M University	8.26%
Northeastern University	6.42%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	5.50%
Pennsylvania State University	5.50%

Show more common general director colleges

Best majors for general directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.7%
2	Marketing	6.9%
3	Law	6.3%
4	Political Science	5.9%
5	Finance	5.4%

Show more common general director majors

Best colleges for general directors

The best colleges for general directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A general 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 general 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 general directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. Oklahoma Baptist University

Shawnee, OK • Private

In-state tuition

$28,258

Enrollment

1,808

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$38,178

Enrollment

6,008

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for general directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for general directors

The most affordable schools for general directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, luther rice college and seminary, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for general 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 general directors.

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. Luther Rice College and Seminary

Lithonia, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,616

Cost of attendance

8,720

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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 - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for general directors

The hardest universities for general directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for general 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 general 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

6. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

9. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for general directors

The easiest schools for general directors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, nyack college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a general 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 general directors.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average general director salary by education level

General directors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $130,845 annually. With a Associate degree, general directors earn a median annual income of $112,366 compared to $112,044 for general directors with an Bachelor's degree.

General director education level	General director salary
Master's Degree	$130,845
Bachelor's Degree	$112,044
Some College/ Associate Degree	$112,366

General director education FAQs

What is the best college for General Directors?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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