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Group work program director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a group work program director. Group work program directors usually study business, social work, or criminal justice. 61% of group work program directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 68 real group work program director resumes to see exactly what group work program director education sections show.

The most common colleges for group work program directors are the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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

What education do you need to become a group work program director?

What degree do you need to be a group work program director?

The most common degree for group work program directors is bachelor's degree, with 61% of group work program directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Associate, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a group work program director?

You should major in business to become a group work program director. 20% of group work program directors major in business. Other common majors for a group work program director include social work and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for group work program directors

Group work program directors often get their degrees at University of Illinois at Chicago, New York University, and Regent University. Here are the most common colleges for group work program directors in the US based on their resumes.
Group work program director common collegePercentages
University of Illinois at Chicago8.33%
New York University8.33%
Regent University8.33%
Southeast Missouri State University8.33%
Eastern Michigan University4.17%

Best majors for group work program directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business20.0%
2Social Work12.0%
3Criminal Justice8.0%
4Psychology8.0%
5English8.0%

Best colleges for group work program directors

The best colleges for group work program directors are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A group work program 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 group work program 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 group work program directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for group work program directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for group work program directors

The most affordable schools for group work program directors are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for group work program 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 group work program directors.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for group work program directors

The hardest universities for group work program directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for group work program 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 group work program 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

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

8. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

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 group work program directors

The easiest schools for group work program directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and nyack college.

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

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. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average group work program director salary by education level

According to our data, group work program directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $73,569 annually. Group work program directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $63,804.
Group work program director education levelGroup work program director salary
Master's Degree$73,569
Bachelor's Degree$63,804

Group work program director education FAQs

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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.

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