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Nursing home manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a nursing home manager. Nursing home managers usually study nursing, business, or psychology. 52% of nursing home managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 290 real nursing home manager resumes to see exactly what nursing home manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for nursing home managers are the Shenandoah University and the Shenandoah University.

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

What education do you need to become a nursing home manager?

What degree do you need to be a nursing home manager?

The most common degree for nursing home managers is bachelor's degree, with 52% of nursing home managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 52%
  • Associate, 26%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a nursing home manager?

You should major in nursing to become a nursing home manager. 64% of nursing home managers major in nursing. Other common majors for a nursing home manager include business and psychology.

Most common colleges for nursing home managers

Nursing home managers often get their degrees at Shenandoah University, Arizona State University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for nursing home managers in the US based on their resumes.
Nursing home manager common collegePercentages
Shenandoah University7.50%
Arizona State University7.50%
University of Phoenix7.50%
Louisiana State University and A&M College5.00%
Eastern Michigan University5.00%

Best majors for nursing home managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing63.9%
2Business7.3%
3Psychology4.1%
4Health Care Administration3.2%
5Education3.2%

Best colleges for nursing home managers

The best colleges for nursing home managers are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

A nursing home 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 nursing home 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 nursing home managers.

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. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

20 best online courses for nursing home managers

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1. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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5. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

6. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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9. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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10. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

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This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

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15. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for nursing home managers

The most affordable schools for nursing home managers are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for nursing home 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 nursing home managers.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

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 - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nursing home managers

The hardest universities for nursing home managers to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

Some great schools for nursing home 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 nursing home 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

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nursing home managers

The easiest schools for nursing home managers to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a nursing home 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 nursing home managers.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average nursing home manager salary by education level

Nursing home managers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $108,302 annually. With a Master's degree, nursing home managers earn a median annual income of $94,445 compared to $84,944 for nursing home managers with an Bachelor's degree.
Nursing home manager education levelNursing home manager salary
Master's Degree$94,445
Bachelor's Degree$84,944
Doctorate Degree$108,302
Some College/ Associate Degree$77,999

Nursing home manager education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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