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Golf course designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a golf course designer. Golf course designers usually study graphic design, business, or psychology. 56% of golf course designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 225 real golf course designer resumes to see exactly what golf course designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for golf course designers are the University of Central Missouri and the University of Central Missouri.
There are also many online golf course designer courses to help get the education required to be a golf course designer.
What education do you need to become a golf course designer?
What degree do you need to be a golf course designer?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Master's, 23%
- Associate, 9%
- Doctorate, 8%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a golf course designer?
- Graphic Design, 10%
- Business, 9%
- Psychology, 8%
- History, 6%
- Other Majors, 67%
Most common colleges for golf course designers
| Golf course designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Central Missouri | 7.89% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 7.89% |
| Purdue University | 7.89% |
| University of Florida | 5.26% |
| James Madison University | 5.26% |
Best majors for golf course designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 10.3% |
| 2 | Business | 9.2% |
| 3 | Psychology | 8.0% |
| 4 | History | 5.7% |
| 5 | English | 5.7% |
Best colleges for golf course designers
The best colleges for golf course designers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.
A golf course designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for golf course designers. 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 golf course designers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
6. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for golf course designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for golf course designers
The most affordable schools for golf course designers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for golf course designers 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 golf course designers.
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for golf course designers
The hardest universities for golf course designers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for golf course designers 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 golf course designers 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
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
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 golf course designers
The easiest schools for golf course designers 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 golf course designer 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 golf course designers.
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. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average golf course designer salary by education level
| Golf course designer education level | Golf course designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $77,584 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $76,270 |
| Doctorate Degree | $75,701 |
Golf course designer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025