Office manager/receptionist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an office manager/receptionist. Office managers/receptionist usually study business, psychology, or general studies. 33% of office managers/receptionist hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 9,940 real office manager/receptionist resumes to see exactly what office manager/receptionist education sections show.

The most common colleges for office managers/receptionist are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online office manager/receptionist courses to help get the education required to be an office manager/receptionist.

There are certain office manager/receptionist certifications that you should consider. These office manager/receptionist certifications include Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).

What education do you need to become an office manager/receptionist?

What degree do you need to be an office manager/receptionist?

The most common degree for office managers/receptionist is bachelor's degree, with 33% of office managers/receptionist earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 27% and high school diploma degree at 25%.

Bachelor's, 33%

High School Diploma, 27%

Associate, 25%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become an office manager/receptionist?

You should major in business to become an office manager/receptionist. 25% of office managers/receptionist major in business. Other common majors for an office manager/receptionist include psychology and general studies.

Business, 25%

Psychology, 7%

General Studies, 7%

Accounting, 7%

Other Majors, 54%

Most common colleges for office managers/receptionist

Office managers/receptionist often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Remington College, and Western Washington University. Here are the most common colleges for office managers/receptionist in the US based on their resumes.

Office manager/receptionist common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	21.62%
Remington College	5.02%
Western Washington University	4.63%
Purdue University	4.63%
Central State University	4.63%

Show more common office manager/receptionist colleges

Best majors for office managers/receptionist

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.5%
2	Psychology	7.4%
3	General Studies	7.3%
4	Accounting	6.8%
5	Health Care Administration	6.6%

Show more common office manager/receptionist majors

Best colleges for office managers/receptionist

The best colleges for office managers/receptionist are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An office manager/receptionist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for office managers/receptionist. 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 office managers/receptionist.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for office managers/receptionist

Advertising disclosure

1. Professional Receptionist Course by London Reception Academy

4.6

(358)

Master the traits of a Professional Receptionist studying deportment, elocution, customer service and telephone skills...

2. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/365 Training Bundle

4.5

(640)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 6-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2021 users...

3. MS Office Course Bundle- Word , Powerpoint , Excel & Outlook

4.3

(319)

MS Office Learn and Polish the Most Desirable Office Courses at work , MS Word , MS Excel , MS Powerpoint and MS Outlook...

4. Professional Diploma in Office Administration Management

4.2

(632)

Principles of work of Office Administrator. Required hard and soft skills. Introduction to MS Office and banking area...

5. Microsoft 70-346: Managing Office 365 Identities and Requ.

(385)

Microsoft 70-346: Managing Office 365 Identities and Requirements...

6. Ultimate Microsoft Office; Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Access

4.5

(11,600)

Learn basic to advanced Microsoft Office skills in this 9-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019...

7. QuickBooks Payroll - QuickBooks Online

4.5

(319)

Processing Quick Books Online payroll for a small business, generating paychecks, processing payroll tax forms...

8. Effective Legal Office Administration

4.5

(1,067)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

9. Payroll Management

4.5

(338)

Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...

10. Payroll Accounting: Laws, Calculations, and Journal Entries

4.4

(1,649)

Master the complex world of payroll with practical examples, legislation insights, and comprehensive problems...

11. Microsoft Office 365 Administration

4.5

(2,676)

Microsoft Office 365 Administration...

12. Microsoft Office; Excel, Word & PowerPoint 2019 - Beginners

4.6

(958)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 3-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019 users...

13. MS Office; Excel, Word, Access & PowerPoint 2019 - Beginners

4.5

(1,407)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 4-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019 users...

14. MS Office Complete Training - Beginner to Expert Level

(311)

Complete Practical training in MS Office 2010 to 2019 and Office 365 in MS Excel, MS Word, MS Power Point and MS Access...

15. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2013 Training Bundle 71 Hours

4.6

(818)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2013 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

16. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2016 Training Bundle

4.5

(4,167)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2016 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

17. Microsoft Office 365 Ultimate Bootcamp 2023

4.2

(320)

WORD, EXCEL, ACCESS, POWERPOINT, PUBLISHER & TEAMS...

18. Office 365-Powershell for the Email Administrator

4.6

(290)

Manage Office 365 mailboxes on the cloud with Power Shell...

19. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2010 Training Bundle 48 Hours

4.7

(846)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2010 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

20. Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Power Point For Beginners

4.1

(382)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

Top 10 most affordable universities for office managers/receptionist

The most affordable schools for office managers/receptionist are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and university of florida.

If the best universities for office managers/receptionist 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 office managers/receptionist.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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 office managers/receptionist

The hardest universities for office managers/receptionist to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for office managers/receptionist 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 office managers/receptionist 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for office managers/receptionist

The easiest schools for office managers/receptionist to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an office manager/receptionist 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 office managers/receptionist.

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. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. University of Maine at Fort Kent

Fort Kent, ME • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

1,005

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average office manager/receptionist salary by education level

Office managers/receptionist with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $56,149 annually. With a Master's degree, office managers/receptionist earn a median annual income of $52,426 compared to $46,357 for office managers/receptionist with an Bachelor's degree.

Office manager/receptionist education level	Office manager/receptionist salary
Master's Degree	$52,426
High School Diploma or Less	$39,368
Bachelor's Degree	$46,357
Doctorate Degree	$56,149
Some College/ Associate Degree	$40,756

Office manager/receptionist education FAQs

What is the best college for Office Managers/Receptionist?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search for office manager/receptionist jobs

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

Browse office and administrative jobs