Media director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a media director. Media directors usually study communication, business, or marketing. 76% of media directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,981 real media director resumes to see exactly what media director education sections show.

The most common colleges for media directors are the New York University and the New York University.

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

There are certain media director certifications that you should consider. These media director certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI).

What education do you need to become a media director?

What degree do you need to be a media director?

The most common degree for media directors is bachelor's degree, with 76% of media directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 9% and associate degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 76%

Associate, 9%

Master's, 9%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a media director?

You should major in communication to become a media director. 18% of media directors major in communication. Other common majors for a media director include business and marketing.

Communication, 18%

Business, 12%

Marketing, 9%

Photography, 9%

Other Majors, 52%

Most common colleges for media directors

Media directors often get their degrees at New York University, Full Sail University, and University of Texas at Austin. Here are the most common colleges for media directors in the US based on their resumes.

Media director common college	Percentages
New York University	8.76%
Full Sail University	7.34%
University of Texas at Austin	7.06%
Pennsylvania State University	6.78%
Syracuse University	6.21%

Show more common media director colleges

Best majors for media directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Communication	18.3%
2	Business	12.1%
3	Marketing	9.1%
4	Photography	9.0%
5	Journalism	7.4%

Show more common media director majors

Best colleges for media directors

The best colleges for media directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A media 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 media directors. 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 media directors.

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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for media directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for media directors

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

If the best universities for media directors 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 media directors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media directors

The hardest universities for media directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for media directors 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 media directors 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media directors

The easiest schools for media directors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media 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 media directors.

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. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average media director salary by education level

According to our data, media directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $131,501 annually. Media directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $116,044.

Media director education level	Media director salary
Master's Degree	$131,501
Bachelor's Degree	$116,044

Media director education FAQs

What is the best college for Media Directors?

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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