Materials program manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a materials program manager. Materials program managers usually study business, supply chain management, or management. 68% of materials program managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 706 real materials program manager resumes to see exactly what materials program manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for materials program managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online materials program manager courses to help get the education required to be a materials program manager.

There are certain materials program manager certifications that you should consider. These materials program manager certifications include Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).

What education do you need to become a materials program manager?

What degree do you need to be a materials program manager?

The most common degree for materials program managers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of materials program managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 11%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a materials program manager?

You should major in business to become a materials program manager. 42% of materials program managers major in business. Other common majors for a materials program manager include supply chain management and management.

Business, 42%

Supply Chain Management, 9%

Management, 6%

Electrical Engineering, 4%

Other Majors, 39%

Most common colleges for materials program managers

Materials program managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Arizona State University, and San Jose State University. Here are the most common colleges for materials program managers in the US based on their resumes.

Materials program manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	17.12%
Arizona State University	9.01%
San Jose State University	9.01%
Michigan State University	9.01%
Drexel University	7.21%

Show more common materials program manager colleges

Best majors for materials program managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	41.7%
2	Supply Chain Management	8.6%
3	Management	6.1%
4	Electrical Engineering	4.3%
5	Engineering And Industrial Management	3.8%

Show more common materials program manager majors

Best colleges for materials program managers

The best colleges for materials program managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A materials program 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 materials program 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 materials program managers.

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 materials program managers

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Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...

3. SAP MM (Materials Management) Consultant Level Course

(306)

Learn SAP Material Management module from scratch. Purchasing, Schema Determination, Material Master, Goods Receipt, etc...

4. Supply Chain Management: Inventory Management and Control

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(656)

Inventory Management in Supply Chain Management & Inventory Control in Warehouse Logistics & Supply chain Management...

5. MBA: Supply Chain and Operation management

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Tactics, Tools, and Techniques required to become a Supply chain and operation manager...

6. Global Air Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management

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2021 Air Logistics Management, Logistics Document, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Logistics & Supply Chain Costing...

7. Master Course in Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2.0

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Fundamentals, Designs and Operations of SCM and Logistics, International Transport, Port and Shipping, Dropshipping...

8. Inventory Management in Manufacturing

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Complete course on Inventory Management...

9. Warehouse Management in Logistics & Supply Chain Management

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Warehouse Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Inventory Management in Logistics and Supply Chain...

10. The Operations Management Training Program

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Learn how to design, plan, direct, and improve all the activities that transform resources into goods or services...

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Inventory Management Basics: MBA beginners course to your optimize your Purchasing, Logistics, EOQ and Safety Stock...

13. Logistics Management: International Transport & Shipping

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Logistics Supply Chain Management Basics - Transport / Import - Export your Freight / Inventory by Air, Sea or Land...

14. Operations Management: Supply Chains, Products and Services

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Master Supply Chain Management and Product and Service Development in Manufacturing and Service Organizations...

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Cutting-Edge Production Management Methods That Will Help You Outperform the Competition...

17. Angular Material In Depth (Angular 16)

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In-depth guided tour to the Angular Material component library (in Angular 16)...

18. Materialize CSS From Scratch With 5 Projects

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Master HTML 5 & the Materialize CSS framework by building 5 real world responsive material design based themes...

19. Supply Chain Management for Beginners

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Get the basics of Supply Chain Management...

20. SAP Materials Management (MM) Super User Training

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Complete Beginner and Intermediate Purchasing & Inventory Management Training - Perform all the task in SAP in no time...

Top 10 most affordable universities for materials program managers

The most affordable schools for materials program managers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for materials program 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 materials program managers.

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 materials program managers

The hardest universities for materials program managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for materials program 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 materials program 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. 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 materials program managers

The easiest schools for materials program managers 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 materials program 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 materials program managers.

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 materials program manager salary by education level

According to our data, materials program managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $134,745 annually. Materials program managers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $132,277.

Materials program manager education level	Materials program manager salary
Master's Degree	$134,745
High School Diploma or Less	$101,211
Bachelor's Degree	$120,757
Doctorate Degree	$132,277
Some College/ Associate Degree	$102,863

Materials program manager education FAQs

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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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