General manager, marketing director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a general manager, marketing director. General managers, marketing director usually study business, marketing, or communication. 69% of general managers, marketing director hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 625 real general manager, marketing director resumes to see exactly what general manager, marketing director education sections show.

The most common colleges for general managers, marketing director are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

What education do you need to become a general manager, marketing director?

What degree do you need to be a general manager, marketing director?

The most common degree for general managers, marketing director is bachelor's degree, with 69% of general managers, marketing director earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 12%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a general manager, marketing director?

You should major in business to become a general manager, marketing director. 31% of general managers, marketing director major in business. Other common majors for a general manager, marketing director include marketing and communication.

Business, 31%

Marketing, 13%

Communication, 9%

Management, 6%

Other Majors, 41%

Most common colleges for general managers, marketing director

General managers, marketing director often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Central Florida, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for general managers, marketing director in the US based on their resumes.

General manager, marketing director common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	8.86%
University of Central Florida	7.59%
Florida State University	6.33%
Pennsylvania State University	6.33%
Temple University	5.06%

Show more common general manager, marketing director colleges

Best majors for general managers, marketing director

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	30.8%
2	Marketing	12.6%
3	Communication	9.4%
4	Management	6.5%
5	Political Science	5.3%

Show more common general manager, marketing director majors

Best colleges for general managers, marketing director

The best colleges for general managers, marketing director are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A general manager, marketing 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 managers, marketing director. 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 managers, marketing director.

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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

8. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

20 best online courses for general managers, marketing director

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Top 10 most affordable universities for general managers, marketing director

The most affordable schools for general managers, marketing director are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for general managers, marketing director 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 managers, marketing director.

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. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

9. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for general managers, marketing director

The hardest universities for general managers, marketing director to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for general managers, marketing director 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 managers, marketing director 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

9. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,380

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for general managers, marketing director

The easiest schools for general managers, marketing director to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a general manager, marketing 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 managers, marketing director.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,080

Average general manager, marketing director salary by education level

According to our data, general managers, marketing director with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $136,494 annually. General managers, marketing director with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $131,362.

General manager, marketing director education level	General manager, marketing director salary
Master's Degree	$136,494
High School Diploma or Less	$95,239
Bachelor's Degree	$117,225
Doctorate Degree	$131,362
Some College/ Associate Degree	$98,235

General manager, marketing director education FAQs

What is the best college for General Managers, Marketing Director?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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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.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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