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Lead portfolio manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a lead portfolio manager. Lead portfolio managers usually study business, finance, or computer science. 60% of lead portfolio managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 201 real lead portfolio manager resumes to see exactly what lead portfolio manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for lead portfolio managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online lead portfolio manager courses to help get the education required to be a lead portfolio manager.
What education do you need to become a lead portfolio manager?
What degree do you need to be a lead portfolio manager?
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Master's, 30%
- Associate, 4%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a lead portfolio manager?
- Business, 29%
- Finance, 20%
- Computer Science, 8%
- Accounting, 6%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for lead portfolio managers
| Lead portfolio manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 9.30% |
| University of Connecticut | 6.98% |
| Miami University | 6.98% |
| University of North Texas | 6.98% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.98% |
Best majors for lead portfolio managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 28.9% |
| 2 | Finance | 19.5% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 7.8% |
| 4 | Accounting | 6.3% |
| 5 | Economics | 3.9% |
Best colleges for lead portfolio managers
The best colleges for lead portfolio managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A lead portfolio 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 lead portfolio 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 lead portfolio managers.
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. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for lead portfolio managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Investment and Portfolio Management
In this four-course Specialization, you’ll learn the essential skills of portfolio management and personal investing.\n\nAll investors – from the largest wealth funds to the smallest individual investors – share common issues in investing: how to meet their liabilities, how to decide where to invest, and how much risk to take on. In this Specialization, you will learn how to think about, discuss, and formulate solutions to these investment questions. You will learn the theory and the real-world...
2. Portfolio and Risk Management
In this course, you will gain an understanding of the theory underlying optimal portfolio construction, the different ways portfolios are actually built in practice and how to measure and manage the risk of such portfolios. You will start by studying how imperfect correlation between assets leads to diversified and optimal portfolios as well as the consequences in terms of asset pricing. Then, you will learn how to shape an investor's profile and build an adequate portfolio by combining...
3. Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Essentials
Assurance and confidence through portfolio intelligence...
4. Practical Project Portfolio Management
Selecting & Managing The Right Projects...
5. Portfolio Selection and Risk Management
When an investor is faced with a portfolio choice problem, the number of possible assets and the various combinations and proportions in which each can be held can seem overwhelming. In this course, you’ll learn the basic principles underlying optimal portfolio construction, diversification, and risk management. You’ll start by acquiring the tools to characterize an investor’s risk and return trade-off. You will next analyze how a portfolio choice problem can be structured and learn how to...
6. Market Risk Management: Frameworks & Strategies
This course provides the foundation for understanding the frameworks used to develop market risk management strategies. You will identify the market risks associated with each type of financial instrument. You will be introduced to techniques for estimating the risk associated with each class of investments. By the end of the course, you will be able to select the most effective derivatives for managing risk of a single asset and a portfolio of assets, develop asset selection strategies for...
7. Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management with Python
Financial Analysis Done Right - Rigorously Analyse Investments & Manage Portfolios using Python for Finance / Investing...
8. Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management - Core Finance
Financial Analysis Done Right - Rigorously Analyse Investments & Manage Portfolios using Excel® & Google Sheets...
9. Lean BPM - Lean Business Process Management Change Skills
Lean BPM - learn how to use lean business management techniques to reduce waste and improve your business efficiency...
10. Project Management Office (PMO) Setup Guide
PMO Step-by-Step Implementation Plan...
11. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems
Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...
12. Business Analyst: Project Management Techniques and Tools
Learn project management techniques to increase your project success rate as a Business Analyst!...
13. Project Management Office (PMO) for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to build and run PMO on the level of top consulting firm Mc Kinsey, BCG, Bain, Pw C...
14. Leading & Managing People [Effectively]
Best Practices For Leaders, Managers, Team Leaders, Project Leaders & Managers & Anyone In A Leader Or Manager Role...
15. Retail for Business Analysts and Management Consultants
A practical guide with cases studies how to analyze and improve a retail business during management consulting projects...
16. The Complete Business Process Management (BPM) Master Class
12000+ enrollments Learn the Business Process Management methods used by the world's most successful organizations...
17. FMCG for Management Consultants and Business Analysts
A practical guide on how to analyze in Excel and improve consumer goods business during consulting projects...
18. Sustainability Management in Business
Everything you need to know about creating sustainable value, ESG and building business resilience...
19. Business Strategy Development: The Art of Differentiation
Learn 3 key business strategy tools. Improve your business innovation skills and drive profitable business development...
20. Program Management Fundamentals: The Essentials
In this course you will learn the essentials of program management. Become your bosses boss start this course today...
Top 10 most affordable universities for lead portfolio managers
The most affordable schools for lead portfolio managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for lead portfolio 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 lead portfolio 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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for lead portfolio managers
The hardest universities for lead portfolio managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for lead portfolio 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 lead portfolio 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. 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
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. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for lead portfolio managers
The easiest schools for lead portfolio managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a lead portfolio 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 lead portfolio managers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
7. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
Average lead portfolio manager salary by education level
| Lead portfolio manager education level | Lead portfolio manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $174,556 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $114,022 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $148,051 |
| Doctorate Degree | $185,416 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $114,004 |
Lead portfolio manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025