In a lot of cases, a higher education can mean a higher salary or even a better job. That's why we found out the best colleges for operations managers. We based this list on these metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of students working, ratio of working vs. non-working students 10 years after admission, average cost of attendance and median debt for graduates.
Best Colleges And Majors For Operations Managers
Best Colleges For Operations Managers
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
10. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
Operations Manager Education Requirements
There are several education requirements to become an operations manager. Operations managers usually study business, management or accounting. 62% of operations managers hold a bachelor's degree and 17% hold a associate degree. We found these by analyzing 229,788 operations manager resumes to investigate the topic of operations manager education more precisely.
The most common colleges for students to pursue their goal of becoming an operations manager are University of Phoenix and Pennsylvania State University.
For those who would rather stay in your pajamas during the day, we prepared some online courses that can help in operations manager education paths.
We prepared a list of an operations manager certifications that you should consider. The necessary certifications that operations managers must have to succeed are Six Sigma Green Belt and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What Education Do You Need To Become an Operations Manager?
What degree do you need to be an Operations Manager?
The most common degree for operations managers is bachelor's degree 62% of operations managers earn that degree. A close second is associate degree with 17% and rounding it off is master's degree with 9%.
- Bachelors, 62%
- Associate, 17%
- Masters, 9%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What Should I Major in to Become an Operations Manager?
Most operations managers, 41% to be exact, major in business. Some other common majors for an operations manager include management and accounting majors.
- Business, 41%
- Management, 6%
- Accounting, 5%
- Marketing, 4%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most Common Colleges For Operations Managers
Here are the most common colleges for an operations manager career in the US based on their resumes. Advocates often get their degree in University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and Purdue University .
| Operations Manager Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 24.44% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.84% |
| Purdue University | 4.91% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 4.89% |
| Ohio State University | 4.79% |
Best Majors For Operations Managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 41.3% |
| 2 | Management | 5.9% |
| 3 | Accounting | 5.0% |
| 4 | Marketing | 4.3% |
| 5 | Psychology | 4.3% |
20 Best Online Courses for Operations Managers
Advertising Disclosure
1. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics
Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...
2. Operational Risks Management ORM
Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...
3. Audit - Financial Statement
Learn the audit process from planning to audit report form a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)...
4. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit
Learn how to Implement and Audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001: 2015...
5. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...
6. ISO 50001. Energy management system
Implement and audit an Energy management system as per ISO 50001:2018...
7. Hotel Management Fundamentals - Hotel Management Operations
Learn hospitality management basics, dive into hotel operations, succeed in your hospitality career and become a manager...
8. Integrated Management. ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 & ISO 45001.
Implementation and audit of an integrated management system...
9. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management system
How to implement an Environmental Management System and obtain ISO 14001:2015 certification...
10. ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Auditor Course
How to implement or audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001:2015...
11. Business Continuity Management System. ISO 22301.
Prepare and respond to disruptive events. Continue operation. That's business continuity...
12. Certification Course in Human Resource Management
Curriculum commensurate to Top B Schools Management Program: with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...
13. Learning VMware vRealize Operations Manager
Increase your productivity and efficiency with the vRealize Operations Manager...
14. ISO 22000. Food Safety Management System.
Learn about hazard identification and assessment, PRPs, Critical Control Points, and the requirements in ISO 22000:2018...
15. ISO/IEC 27001. Information Security Management System.
Learn how your company can protect its information and get certified to ISO/IEC 27001...
16. Introduction to Human Resource Management
HRM is an important function of any organization. It includes managing people in a structured and thorough manner...
17. Payroll Management
Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...
18. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course
Hands-on HR Certification: All HR Management topics. Employee Life Cycle, HR Functions, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement...
19. ISO 37001. Anti-bribery management system.
Prevent, detect and address bribery by implementing controls and instil an anti-bribery culture in the organization...
20. Human Resources For Beginners
A guide to learning the fundamentals of human resource management...
Top 10 Affordable Universities For Operations Managers
If those top 10 were a bit out of your price range, you might want to check these schools instead. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price and mean earnings after 6 years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for operations managers.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
5. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,587
Cost of Attendance
13,043
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,410
Cost of Attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,886
Cost of Attendance
17,645
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Cost of Attendance
19,434
9. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,821
Cost of Attendance
19,849
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
Top 10 Hardest Universities To Get Into For Operations Managers
Some people like a challenge. Well, we challenge you to get into one of these schools. It's not going to be easy. We know this based on these institutions' admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted and mean earnings of students 6 years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
13%
SAT Average
1,445
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
17%
SAT Average
1,507
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,420
8. University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
32%
SAT Average
1,365
9. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,380
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions Rate
42%
SAT Average
1,380
Top 10 Easier To Apply Universities For Operations Managers
Why make getting a job harder on yourself than it has to be? With these colleges, you're sure to be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores and average salary of students 6 years after graduation in order to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
1,006
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
992
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
70%
SAT Average
849
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
88%
SAT Average
1,044
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
86%
SAT Average
991
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
1,003
Average Operations Manager Salary by Education Level
Operations managers with a Masters degree earn more than those without, at $102,513 annually. With a Doctorate degree, operations managers earn a median annual income of $98,305 compared to $86,797 for operations managers with an Bachelors degree.
| Operations Manager Education Level | Operations Manager Salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $69,161 |
| Master's Degree | $102,513 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $86,797 |
| Doctorate Degree | $98,305 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $71,543 |