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Marketing and design manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a marketing and design manager. Marketing and design managers usually study graphic design, business, or marketing. 76% of marketing and design managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 538 real marketing and design manager resumes to see exactly what marketing and design manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for marketing and design managers are the Columbia College Chicago and the Columbia College Chicago.
There are also many online marketing and design manager courses to help get the education required to be a marketing and design manager.
What education do you need to become a marketing and design manager?
What degree do you need to be a marketing and design manager?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Associate, 14%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a marketing and design manager?
- Graphic Design, 31%
- Business, 12%
- Marketing, 12%
- Fine Arts, 8%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for marketing and design managers
| Marketing and design manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Columbia College Chicago | 7.35% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 7.35% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 7.35% |
| Arizona State University | 5.88% |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 5.88% |
Best majors for marketing and design managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 30.9% |
| 2 | Business | 12.3% |
| 3 | Marketing | 11.7% |
| 4 | Fine Arts | 8.3% |
| 5 | Communication | 7.4% |
Best colleges for marketing and design managers
The best colleges for marketing and design managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
A marketing and design 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 marketing and design 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 marketing and design managers.
1. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for marketing and design managers
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Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
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19. Growth Product Manager
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20. Product Strategy
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Top 10 most affordable universities for marketing and design managers
The most affordable schools for marketing and design managers are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for marketing and design 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 marketing and design managers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for marketing and design managers
The hardest universities for marketing and design managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for marketing and design 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 marketing and design 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 Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for marketing and design managers
The easiest schools for marketing and design managers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, mount saint mary's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a marketing and design 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 marketing and design managers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
Average marketing and design manager salary by education level
| Marketing and design manager education level | Marketing and design manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $119,774 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $99,281 |
| Doctorate Degree | $127,980 |
Marketing and design manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025