Post job

Implementation program manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an implementation program manager. Implementation program managers usually study business, electrical engineering, or computer science. 65% of implementation program managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 563 real implementation program manager resumes to see exactly what implementation program manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for implementation program managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online implementation program manager courses to help get the education required to be an implementation program manager.

There are certain implementation program manager certifications that you should consider. These implementation program manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Master Project Manager (MPM).

What education do you need to become an implementation program manager?

What degree do you need to be an implementation program manager?

The most common degree for implementation program managers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of implementation program managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an implementation program manager?

You should major in business to become an implementation program manager. 29% of implementation program managers major in business. Other common majors for an implementation program manager include electrical engineering and computer science.

Most common colleges for implementation program managers

Implementation program managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and George Washington University, The. Here are the most common colleges for implementation program managers in the US based on their resumes.
Implementation program manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix8.33%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale6.94%
George Washington University, The6.94%
Purdue University6.94%
Virginia Commonwealth University5.56%

Best majors for implementation program managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business28.6%
2Electrical Engineering10.1%
3Computer Science8.1%
4Finance6.5%
5Psychology6.0%

Best colleges for implementation program managers

The best colleges for implementation program managers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.

An implementation program manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for implementation program managers. 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 implementation program managers.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for implementation program managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Project Management Office (PMO) Setup Guide

udemy
4.4
(471)

PMO Step-by-Step Implementation Plan...

2. Implementing the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF)

udemy
4.6
(544)

A practitioner's guide to using the NIST Risk Management Framework (RM) to protect your business or organization...

3. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit

udemy
4.2
(707)

Learn how to Implement and Audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001: 2015...

4. Lean BPM - Lean Business Process Management Change Skills

udemy
4.5
(553)

Lean BPM - learn how to use lean business management techniques to reduce waste and improve your business efficiency...

5. The Complete Business Process Management (BPM) Master Class

udemy
4.2
(860)

12000+ enrollments Learn the Business Process Management methods used by the world's most successful organizations...

6. Informed Risk Taking: Risk Management Process - Analysis

udemy
4.5
(1,247)

Risk Management Strategies : Risk Analysis Techniques : Risk Management Principles : Risk Management Process : Methods...

7. Program Management Course - Program Manager Essentials

udemy
4.4
(1,222)

In this Program Management course you will learn the essentials and more to become an effective Program Manager...

8. The Risk Management Certification Program (PMI-RMP) (PMBOK7)

udemy
4.3
(829)

Planning Risk Management, Identifying Risk, Analyzing Risk and Responding to Risk by PMBOK6 (PMBOK7 Updated)...

9. Program Management Fundamentals: The Essentials

udemy
4.4
(370)

In this course you will learn the essentials of program management. Become your bosses boss start this course today...

10. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems

udemy
4.6
(4,741)

Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...

11. Advanced Google Analytics 4 Implementation with Tag Manager

udemy
4.5
(727)

Learn advanced GA4 custom data collection, customization, ecommerce implementation with Google Tag Manager...

12. Program Management Interview Course

udemy
4.5
(899)

Learn how to interview for program manager roles at tech companies...

13. IATF 16949: 2016 Implementation and Auditing

udemy
4.2
(310)

A Practical approach about how to implement and Audit a process based and Risk based QMS in Automotive Industries...

14. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

udemy
4.2
(2,380)

Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

15. Master Course in Project Management 2.0

udemy
4.2
(490)

Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...

16. Business Analyst: Project Management Techniques and Tools

udemy
4.5
(4,412)

Learn project management techniques to increase your project success rate as a Business Analyst!...

17. Global Air Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management

udemy
4.7
(496)

2021 Air Logistics Management, Logistics Document, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Logistics & Supply Chain Costing...

18. COBIT® 2019 Design & Implementation

udemy
4.4
(349)

Design and implement COBIT in any organization...

19. Business Process Mapping

udemy
4.3
(288)

The complete guide to map any business process...

20. Business Continuity Management & ISO 22301 - Complete Guide

udemy
4.6
(371)

Learn Business Continuity Management from Organizational Resilience, Risk Management & Business Management perspectives!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for implementation program managers

The most affordable schools for implementation program managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for implementation program managers 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 implementation program managers.

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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for implementation program managers

The hardest universities for implementation program managers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for implementation program managers 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 implementation program managers 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

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 implementation program managers

The easiest schools for implementation program managers to get into are Barry University, capitol technology university, and ottawa university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an implementation program manager 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 implementation program managers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

8. Chestnut Hill College

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,026

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

Average implementation program manager salary by education level

According to our data, implementation program managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $105,128 annually. Implementation program managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $102,994.
Implementation program manager education levelImplementation program manager salary
Master's Degree$102,994
Bachelor's Degree$96,531
Doctorate Degree$105,128
Some College/ Associate Degree$80,585

Implementation program manager education FAQs

Search for implementation program manager 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