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Operations and maintenance manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an operations and maintenance manager. Operations and maintenance managers usually study business, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 54% of operations and maintenance managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,834 real operations and maintenance manager resumes to see exactly what operations and maintenance manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for operations and maintenance managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online operations and maintenance manager courses to help get the education required to be an operations and maintenance manager.

There are certain operations and maintenance manager certifications that you should consider. These operations and maintenance manager certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA).

What education do you need to become an operations and maintenance manager?

What degree do you need to be an operations and maintenance manager?

The most common degree for operations and maintenance managers is bachelor's degree, with 54% of operations and maintenance managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 27% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 54%
  • Associate, 27%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become an operations and maintenance manager?

You should major in business to become an operations and maintenance manager. 27% of operations and maintenance managers major in business. Other common majors for an operations and maintenance manager include electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Most common colleges for operations and maintenance managers

Operations and maintenance managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for operations and maintenance managers in the US based on their resumes.
Operations and maintenance manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix15.97%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale9.03%
Pennsylvania State University7.64%
Excelsior College6.94%
University of Maryland - College Park6.25%

Best majors for operations and maintenance managers

Best colleges for operations and maintenance managers

The best colleges for operations and maintenance managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An operations and maintenance 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 operations and maintenance 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 operations and maintenance managers.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

5. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

6. SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Canton, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,389

Enrollment

3,127

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Lewis-Clark State College

Lewiston, ID • Private

In-state tuition

$6,618

Enrollment

2,787

10. Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$22,046

Enrollment

1,294

20 best online courses for operations and maintenance managers

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1. Navigating Healthcare Supply Chain Operations

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3. Maintenance Planning Basics

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Understanding maintenance planning basics of successful maintenance department...

4. Operational Risks Management ORM

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4.3
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Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

5. Heat Exchangers: Design , Operation & Maintenance

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A complete understanding of construction details , functionning and design of heat exchangers for successful operation...

6. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics

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

7. Real World SAP - Plant Maintenance Orders and Notifications

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8. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

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9. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system

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10. Garnett Cross Training in the Maintenance of Oil Hydraulics

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14. Diploma in (BIM) and Project Management Professional (PMP)

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How to Manage Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the integration between Project Management Professional and BIM...

15. Centrifugal compressors: Principles, Operation and design

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17. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management system

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18. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

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Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

19. ISO 37001. Anti-bribery management system

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Learn how to prevent, detect or address bribery and how to build an anti-bribery culture in an organization...

20. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

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Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

Top 10 most affordable universities for operations and maintenance managers

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

If the best universities for operations and maintenance 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 operations and maintenance 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. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$7,092

Cost of attendance

16,853

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for operations and maintenance managers

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

Some great schools for operations and maintenance 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 operations and maintenance 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

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 operations and maintenance managers

The easiest schools for operations and maintenance 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 an operations and maintenance 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 operations and maintenance 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. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

Average operations and maintenance manager salary by education level

According to our data, operations and maintenance managers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,871 annually. Operations and maintenance managers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $51,154.
Operations and maintenance manager education levelOperations and maintenance manager salary
High School Diploma or Less$49,164
Bachelor's Degree$60,871
Some College/ Associate Degree$51,154

Operations and maintenance 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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