Inventory manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an inventory manager. Inventory managers usually study business, accounting, or management. 54% of inventory managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 17,052 real inventory manager resumes to see exactly what inventory manager education sections show.

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

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

There are certain inventory manager certifications that you should consider. These inventory manager certifications include Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP).

What education do you need to become an inventory manager?

What degree do you need to be an inventory manager?

The most common degree for inventory managers is bachelor's degree, with 54% of inventory managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 15%.

Bachelor's, 54%

Associate, 19%

High School Diploma, 15%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become an inventory manager?

You should major in business to become an inventory manager. 38% of inventory managers major in business. Other common majors for an inventory manager include accounting and management.

Business, 38%

Accounting, 8%

Management, 5%

Marketing, 5%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for inventory managers

Inventory managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Houston. Here are the most common colleges for inventory managers in the US based on their resumes.

Inventory manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	19.67%
Pennsylvania State University	6.27%
University of Houston	5.51%
Arizona State University	5.26%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	5.01%

Show more common inventory manager colleges

Best majors for inventory managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	37.7%
2	Accounting	7.7%
3	Management	5.0%
4	Marketing	4.6%
5	General Studies	4.5%

Show more common inventory manager majors

Best colleges for inventory managers

The best colleges for inventory managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An inventory 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 inventory 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 inventory managers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for inventory managers

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1. Financial Accounting - Inventory Costs

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Create Inventory POS System Project With Billing by use of Bootstrap Responsive Admin LTE Dashboard With PHP PHP7 MYSQL...

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(282)

Learn how to create a POS system with inventory management and billing using PHP 7 and Admin LTE...

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

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

6. SAP MM Materials Management (beginner to expert level)

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Master SAP Materials Management module with practical implementation steps. Prepare and crack SAP MM Certification exam...

7. eBay Drop Shipping Guide with No Inventory - Work From Home

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8. SAP Materials Management (MM) Super User Training

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(614)

Complete Beginner and Intermediate Purchasing & Inventory Management Training - Perform all the task in SAP in no time...

9. Unity RPG Inventory Systems Asset Pack: Behind The Scenes

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(840)

Review and integrate an RPG-Style Inventory System. All Code Base Provided As A Flexible Asset Pack...

10. RA: Data Science and Supply chain analytics.(A-Z with R)

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(322)

Learn R,Supply-chain Data Science, Inventory Optimization,Big Data forecasting, Machine learning and Revenue Management...

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Learn SAP Material Management module from scratch. Purchasing, Schema Determination, Material Master, Goods Receipt, etc...

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14. Complete Tally ERP 9-GST Course with Live Project of Clients

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16. RA: Data Science and Supply Chain analytics. A-Z with Python

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Learn Python, Supply Chain Data Science ,Linear Programming, Forecasting, Pricing and Inventory Management...

17. Laravel 8 Vuejs & RESTful API Course With Complete Project

4.1

(662)

Learn Basic Larave 8 , Vuejs, Restful Api Fundamentals Then Together All, Create Inventory Management System Project...

18. Oracle Apps Order Management (R12) Training

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Oracle EBS Order Management Comprehensive training...

19. SAP MM -Material Management Simplified For Beginners

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Exclusively designed SAP MM Training for End-Users, MM-Super-users , SAP Beginner to become SAP MM Consultant, S4 HANA...

20. Basics of Accounting

4.3

(333)

Accounting Concepts & Principles...

Top 10 most affordable universities for inventory managers

The most affordable schools for inventory managers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for inventory 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 inventory managers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for inventory managers

The hardest universities for inventory managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for inventory 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 inventory 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for inventory managers

The easiest schools for inventory managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average inventory manager salary by education level

Inventory managers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $80,271 annually. With a Master's degree, inventory managers earn a median annual income of $76,130 compared to $68,362 for inventory managers with an Bachelor's degree.

Inventory manager education level	Inventory manager salary
Master's Degree	$76,130
High School Diploma or Less	$54,596
Bachelor's Degree	$68,362
Doctorate Degree	$80,271
Some College/ Associate Degree	$57,203

Inventory manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Inventory Managers?

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

Search for inventory manager jobs

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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