Manager, project director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a manager, project director. Managers, project director usually study business, psychology, or communication. 70% of managers, project director hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,895 real manager, project director resumes to see exactly what manager, project director education sections show.

The most common colleges for managers, project director are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online manager, project director courses to help get the education required to be a manager, project director.

There are certain manager, project director certifications that you should consider. These manager, project director certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Construction Manager (CCM).

What education do you need to become a manager, project director?

What degree do you need to be a manager, project director?

The most common degree for managers, project director is bachelor's degree, with 70% of managers, project director earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 70%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a manager, project director?

You should major in business to become a manager, project director. 25% of managers, project director major in business. Other common majors for a manager, project director include psychology and communication.

Business, 25%

Psychology, 5%

Communication, 5%

Computer Science, 5%

Other Majors, 60%

Most common colleges for managers, project director

Managers, project director often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Florida. Here are the most common colleges for managers, project director in the US based on their resumes.

Manager, project director common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	10.77%
University of Maryland - College Park	8.72%
University of Florida	7.18%
University of Houston	6.15%
Arizona State University	5.64%

Show more common manager, project director colleges

Best majors for managers, project director

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.4%
2	Psychology	5.3%
3	Communication	5.1%
4	Computer Science	5.1%
5	Finance	4.7%

Show more common manager, project director majors

Best colleges for managers, project director

The best colleges for managers, project director are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for managers, project director

Advertising disclosure

1. Digital Project Management

Build confidence translating business requirements into project scope statements, creating project plans in Waterfall or Agile, and developing a high-performing team...

2. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

4.3

(730)

Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

3. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants

4.5

(809)

How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...

4. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

4.4

(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

5. Project Management Office (PMO) for Management Consultants

4.3

(1,283)

A practical guide on how to build and run PMO on the level of top consulting firm Mc Kinsey, BCG, Bain, Pw C...

6. Project Management Essentials

4.5

(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

7. Mastering Construction/Project Management

4.2

(659)

Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

8. Agile Project Management Bootcamp: Agile Project Management

4.5

(1,916)

This Agile Project Management Bootcamp course will allow you to learn the Agile Way! Agile Project Management (Scrum)...

9. Project Management Office (PMO) Setup Guide

4.4

(471)

PMO Step-by-Step Implementation Plan...

10. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

4.5

(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

11. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

4.6

(28,219)

Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

12. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management

4.4

(1,144)

Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...

13. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager

4.4

(250)

Project Management...

14. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

15. Master Course in Project Management 2.0

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

4.5

(4,412)

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

17. Microsoft Project ADVANCED: Project Management Technics 3PDU

4.6

(952)

MS PROJECT 2016 ADVANCED Project Management Techniques -incl Enterprise level. HANDS-ON from #1 BESTSELLING INSTRUCTOR...

18. Construction Project Scheduling

4.5

(346)

Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...

19. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management

4.3

(457)

Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...

20. Project Management Training

4.6

(1,394)

Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...

Top 10 most affordable universities for managers, project director

The most affordable schools for managers, project director are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for managers, project director 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 managers, project director.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for managers, project director

The hardest universities for managers, project director to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for managers, project director 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 managers, project director 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

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. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for managers, project director

The easiest schools for managers, project director to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a manager, project director 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 managers, project director.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average manager, project director salary by education level

Managers, project director with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $139,073 annually. With a Master's degree, managers, project director earn a median annual income of $130,921 compared to $115,527 for managers, project director with an Bachelor's degree.

Manager, project director education level	Manager, project director salary
Master's Degree	$130,921
High School Diploma or Less	$88,948
Bachelor's Degree	$115,527
Doctorate Degree	$139,073
Some College/ Associate Degree	$93,926

Manager, project director education FAQs

What is the best college for Managers, Project Director?

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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