Parts manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a parts manager. Parts managers usually study business, automotive technology, or general studies. 32% of parts managers hold a high school diploma, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 14,137 real parts manager resumes to see exactly what parts manager education sections show.

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

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

There are certain parts manager certifications that you should consider. These parts manager certifications include Parts Specialist - Automobile Parts Specialist P2 and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a parts manager?

What degree do you need to be a parts manager?

The most common degree for parts managers is high school diploma, with 32% of parts managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 27% and associate degree degree at 26%.

High School Diploma, 32%

Associate, 27%

Bachelor's, 26%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a parts manager?

You should major in business to become a parts manager. 33% of parts managers major in business. Other common majors for a parts manager include automotive technology and general studies.

Business, 33%

Automotive Technology, 14%

General Studies, 7%

Criminal Justice, 5%

Other Majors, 41%

Most common colleges for parts managers

Parts managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and DeVry University. Here are the most common colleges for parts managers in the US based on their resumes.

Parts manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	25.99%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	4.89%
DeVry University	4.89%
Ferris State University	4.59%
University of Iowa	4.28%

Show more common parts manager colleges

Best majors for parts managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	32.7%
2	Automotive Technology	13.9%
3	General Studies	7.4%
4	Criminal Justice	5.0%
5	Accounting	4.8%

Show more common parts manager majors

Best colleges for parts managers

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

A parts 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 parts 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 parts managers.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for parts managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Oracle Apps Order Management (R12) Training

(254)

Oracle EBS Order Management Comprehensive training...

2. Create POS System - Inventory & sales with PHP 7 & adminLTE

4.5

(282)

Learn how to create a POS system with inventory management and billing using PHP 7 and Admin LTE...

3. PHP for Beginners to Inventory POS Sales Project - AdminLTE

4.2

(392)

Create Inventory POS System Project With Billing by use of Bootstrap Responsive Admin LTE Dashboard With PHP PHP7 MYSQL...

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

4.5

(2,394)

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

5. Laravel 9 - Build Complete Inventory Management System A-Z

4.5

(666)

In This Course, You Will Build Two Different Projects With Laravel 9 including Inventory Management System A-Z...

6. SAP MM Materials Management (beginner to expert level)

4.3

(331)

Master SAP Materials Management module with practical implementation steps. Prepare and crack SAP MM Certification exam...

7. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

8. SAP Materials Management (MM) Super User Training

4.6

(614)

Complete Beginner and Intermediate Purchasing & Inventory Management Training - Perform all the task in SAP in no time...

9. SolidWorks 2017 Advanced Part Training

4.5

(343)

Learn all advanced tool in part level and make complex part in Solid Works...

10. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

4.5

(1,035)

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

11. Scala Applied, Part 3

4.6

(777)

Part 3 of Scala Applied, covering Scala's core libraries...

12. SQL Server Reporting Services Part 2 (SSRS)

4.5

(956)

SQL Server Reporting Services Part 2 (SSRS): Deployment, Security, Report Builder, Mobile Report Publisher...

13. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

4.4

(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

14. eBay Drop Shipping Guide with No Inventory - Work From Home

(9,490)

Learn exactly how to work from home purely selling and drop shipping on e Bay. No up front inventory! Basic to Advanced!...

15. Financial Accounting - Inventory Costs

4.3

(254)

Mastering Inventory Costs & Flows: An In-Depth Guide to Accounting for Inventory in Business Operations...

16. Scala Applied, Part 1

4.5

(3,378)

Introduction to programming in the Scala language. Core syntax and concepts...

17. The Beginner's Guide to Swing Trading Stocks Part-Time

4.5

(295)

The Complete Guide to Swing Trading Stocks Part-Time with Swing Trading Strategies, Patterns, & Analysis for Beginners!...

18. 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training - Part 1 (Yoga Alliance)

4.7

(4,067)

Part 1 of Part 2 of our Internationally Accredited Certification Course by Yoga Alliance...

19. Autodesk Inventor 2020 - Advanced Part Training

4.7

(257)

Learn Autodesk Inventor PART Advanced topics...

20. Part 1 FAA Private Pilot Ground School (Part 61)

4.6

(731)

Introduction to flight training, Aircraft Structure, Systems and Flight Instruments...

Top 10 most affordable universities for parts managers

The most affordable schools for parts managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for parts 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 parts 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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for parts managers

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

Some great schools for parts 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 parts 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. 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for parts managers

The easiest schools for parts managers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.

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

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. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average parts manager salary by education level

According to our data, parts managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $75,268 annually. Parts managers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $69,023.

Parts manager education level	Parts manager salary
Master's Degree	$75,268
High School Diploma or Less	$58,884
Bachelor's Degree	$69,023
Some College/ Associate Degree	$60,762

Parts manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Parts Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.

Search for parts manager 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 sales jobs