Major gifts officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a major gifts officer. Major gifts officers usually study business, political science, or communication. 77% of major gifts officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 902 real major gifts officer resumes to see exactly what major gifts officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for major gifts officers are the George Washington University, The and the George Washington University, The.

There are also many online major gifts officer courses to help get the education required to be a major gifts officer.

What education do you need to become a major gifts officer?

What degree do you need to be a major gifts officer?

The most common degree for major gifts officers is bachelor's degree, with 77% of major gifts officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 4%.

Bachelor's, 77%

Master's, 17%

Associate, 4%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a major gifts officer?

You should major in business to become a major gifts officer. 16% of major gifts officers major in business. Other common majors for a major gifts officer include political science and communication.

Business, 16%

Political Science, 11%

Communication, 10%

Psychology, 7%

Other Majors, 56%

Most common colleges for major gifts officers

Major gifts officers often get their degrees at George Washington University, The, Indiana University South Bend, and San Diego State University. Here are the most common colleges for major gifts officers in the US based on their resumes.

Major gifts officer common college	Percentages
George Washington University, The	8.93%
Indiana University South Bend	6.25%
San Diego State University	6.25%
American University	6.25%
University of Pittsburgh	5.36%

Show more common major gifts officer colleges

Best majors for major gifts officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	16.2%
2	Political Science	10.6%
3	Communication	9.6%
4	Psychology	7.0%
5	Management	6.7%

Show more common major gifts officer majors

Best colleges for major gifts officers

The best colleges for major gifts officers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A major gifts officer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for major gifts officers. 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 major gifts officers.

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 major gifts officers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for major gifts officers

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

If the best universities for major gifts officers 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 major gifts officers.

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 major gifts officers

The hardest universities for major gifts officers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for major gifts officers 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 major gifts officers 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 major gifts officers

The easiest schools for major gifts officers 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 a major gifts officer 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 major gifts officers.

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 major gifts officer salary by education level

According to our data, major gifts officers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $99,339 annually. Major gifts officers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $86,978.

Major gifts officer education level	Major gifts officer salary
Master's Degree	$99,339
Bachelor's Degree	$86,978

Major gifts officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Major Gifts Officers?

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

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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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