Post job

General manager/partner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a general manager/partner. General managers/partner usually study business, marketing, or accounting. 64% of general managers/partner hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,867 real general manager/partner resumes to see exactly what general manager/partner education sections show.

The most common colleges for general managers/partner are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain general manager/partner certifications that you should consider. These general manager/partner certifications include Food Safety Manager Certification and Certified Manager Certification (CM).

What education do you need to become a general manager/partner?

What degree do you need to be a general manager/partner?

The most common degree for general managers/partner is bachelor's degree, with 64% of general managers/partner earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Master's, 11%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a general manager/partner?

You should major in business to become a general manager/partner. 35% of general managers/partner major in business. Other common majors for a general manager/partner include marketing and accounting.

Most common colleges for general managers/partner

General managers/partner often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Michigan State University, and Ohio State University. Here are the most common colleges for general managers/partner in the US based on their resumes.
General manager/partner common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.21%
Michigan State University7.23%
Ohio State University6.81%
Arizona State University5.96%
New York University5.53%

Best majors for general managers/partner

RankMajorPercentages
1Business34.6%
2Marketing7.2%
3Accounting7.2%
4Finance6.7%
5Management4.8%

Best colleges for general managers/partner

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

A general manager/partner 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/partner. 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/partner.

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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

20 best online courses for general managers/partner

Advertising disclosure

1. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics

udemy
4.5
(2,394)

Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...

2. Operational Risks Management ORM

udemy
4.3
(1,174)

Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

3. Human Resources (HR) as a Business Partner

udemy
4.1
(758)

This course provides valuable information on how Human Resource Business Partnering (HRBP) operates in practice...

4. Real Estate Asset Management 101

udemy
4.6
(1,625)

Real Estate Asset Management Training From Acquisition, To Ownership, Through Sale For Profitable Real Estate Investing...

5. Managing Generational Conflict

udemy
4.7
(1,111)

Powerful knowledge for managing & reducing conflict, increasing engagement & productivity, and turning customers to fans...

6. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

udemy
4.4
(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

7. CRM: Customer Relationship Management

udemy
4.4
(1,546)

Practical Ideas To Generate Sales, Loyalty And Repeat Business Fast...

8. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley

udemy
4.5
(6,788)

The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

9. LinkedIn Marketing, Lead Generation & B2B Sales for LinkedIn

udemy
4.3
(5,970)

Linked In Machine: The Linked In Master Class to learn Linked In Marketing, Lead Generation, Business Development, B2B Sales...

10. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

11. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

udemy
4.6
(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

12. Generate Leads With Facebook Ads For Local Business [2017]

udemy
4.3
(443)

Learn How To Generate 92 Leads in 7 days! The Step-By-Step Facebook Advertising System For Local Businesses 2017...

13. Customer Retention: Maximise Your Profits

udemy
4.6
(481)

How CRM, Customer Care, Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Experience will 10X your profits...

14. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

udemy
4.5
(1,035)

Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

15. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

16. LinkedIn Marketing & Lead Generation Bootcamp for B2B Sales

udemy
4.5
(2,761)

16 Days to master Linked In marketing for lead generation and B2B sales. Linked In messaging templates included...

17. Linkedin Marketing: B2B Sales & Lead Generation From Scratch

udemy
4.3
(874)

Grow Any Business With a Free Linkedin Account: Business Development, Lead Generation, Linkedin B2B Sales & More!...

18. Hotel Management - Revenue Management for Beginners

udemy
4.4
(583)

Hotel Revenue Management Concepts of Yield Management Market Segmentation Pricing Strategies Tools Indices...

19. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

udemy
4.4
(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

20. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

udemy
4.6
(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

Top 10 most affordable universities for general managers/partner

The most affordable schools for general managers/partner are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida state university.

If the best universities for general managers/partner 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/partner.

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. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for general managers/partner

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

Some great schools for general managers/partner 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/partner 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. 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. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for general managers/partner

The easiest schools for general managers/partner 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/partner 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/partner.

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. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average general manager/partner salary by education level

According to our data, general managers/partner with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $151,734 annually. General managers/partner with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $139,459.
General manager/partner education levelGeneral manager/partner salary
Master's Degree$151,734
High School Diploma or Less$68,718
Bachelor's Degree$108,547
Doctorate Degree$139,459
Some College/ Associate Degree$73,567

General manager/partner education FAQs

Search for general manager/partner 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