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Leadership internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a leadership internship. Leadership interns usually study business, psychology, or political science. 75% of leadership interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,854 real leadership internship resumes to see exactly what leadership internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for leadership interns are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online leadership internship courses to help get the education required to be a leadership internship.

What education do you need to become a leadership internship?

What degree do you need to be a leadership internship?

The most common degree for leadership interns is bachelor's degree, with 75% of leadership interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a leadership internship?

You should major in business to become a leadership internship. 20% of leadership interns major in business. Other common majors for a leadership internship include psychology and political science.

Most common colleges for leadership interns

Leadership interns often get their degrees at New York University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for leadership interns in the US based on their resumes.
Leadership internship common collegePercentages
New York University6.75%
University of California, Santa Barbara6.35%
Purdue University6.35%
University of Arizona6.35%
Michigan State University5.95%

Best majors for leadership interns

RankMajorPercentages
1Business20.1%
2Psychology13.5%
3Political Science8.9%
4Communication6.8%
5Marketing6.5%

Best colleges for leadership interns

The best colleges for leadership interns are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A leadership internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for leadership interns. 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 leadership interns.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

20 best online courses for leadership interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for leadership interns

The most affordable schools for leadership interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for leadership interns 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 leadership interns.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

10. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for leadership interns

The hardest universities for leadership interns to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for leadership interns 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 leadership interns 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for leadership interns

The easiest schools for leadership interns to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a leadership internship 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 leadership interns.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average leadership internship salary by education level

According to our data, leadership interns with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,901 annually. Leadership interns with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $41,518.
Leadership internship education levelLeadership internship salary
Master's Degree$43,901
High School Diploma or Less$36,980
Bachelor's Degree$41,518
Some College/ Associate Degree$38,770

Leadership internship 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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