Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Performance analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a performance analyst. Performance analysts usually study business, finance, or accounting. 73% of performance analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,299 real performance analyst resumes to see exactly what performance analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for performance analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online performance analyst courses to help get the education required to be a performance analyst.
There are certain performance analyst certifications that you should consider. These performance analyst certifications include Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Six Sigma Green Belt.
What education do you need to become a performance analyst?
What degree do you need to be a performance analyst?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a performance analyst?
- Business, 27%
- Finance, 19%
- Accounting, 8%
- Economics, 8%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for performance analysts
| Performance analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.87% |
| Boston University | 6.83% |
| Ohio State University | 5.90% |
| Northeastern University | 5.90% |
| New York University | 5.59% |
Best majors for performance analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 27.4% |
| 2 | Finance | 18.7% |
| 3 | Accounting | 7.6% |
| 4 | Economics | 7.6% |
| 5 | Computer Science | 6.6% |
Best colleges for performance analysts
The best colleges for performance analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A performance analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for performance analysts. 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 performance analysts.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
7. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
8. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
9. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,909
Enrollment
6,348
20 best online courses for performance analysts
Advertising disclosure
1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)
Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...
2. Data Analytics (Part Time)
Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Data Analyst
Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...
4. Data Structures and Algorithms
Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...
5. KPIs: Key Performance Indicators A-Z: Performance Management
The fundamentals of choosing, designing, implementing and presenting KPI Metrics and Dashboards in Business Operations...
6. Performance Testing using LoadRunner 12.50
(30 Day Money Back Guarantee) - Extensive, Hands-on Training with Real Time Project, Material and Query Support...
7. Intro to Data Analytics
Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...
8. Data Visualization
You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...
9. Intro to Data Analysis
Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...
10. Certified Key Performance Indicators Professional (CKPIP)
Be a Certified KPI Professional by learning from KPI Mega Library best-selling author (All about Metrics & Measures)...
11. Performance Management: Build a High Performing Team
Transform the way you manage your teams performance...
12. Data Visualization
Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...
13. Experimental Design & Recommendations
Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...
14. Performance Testing Using Gatling
Session Management in Gatling, POST request methods, Jenkins Integration, Distributed testing, Performance Framework...
15. Software Performance Testing and Engineering
PT Concepts & Best Practices JMeter Scripting for APIs Perf Testing of Microservices on AWS ECS & Lambda...
16. API (WebServices) Performance Testing-Loadrunner(SOAP &REST)
(30 Day Money Back Guarantee) - Extensive, Exhaustive and Hands-on Training with Query Support...
17. Effectively Managing Employee Performance
Learn how to prevent performance problems, identify, counsel, and take action...
18. Supply Chain Management KPIs: Metrics Inventory Performance
Key Performance Indicators: Measure & Improve the Performance of your Supply Chain and Inventory Operations Management...
19. Performance Testing Course with JMeter and Blazemeter
You will learn the basics of performance testing using today's most popular tools while following a widely-used method...
20. Performance Management and Compensation Management in HRM
Performance Management and Compensation Management Complete Course...
Top 10 most affordable universities for performance analysts
The most affordable schools for performance analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for performance analysts 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 performance analysts.
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for performance analysts
The hardest universities for performance analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for performance analysts 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 performance analysts 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. 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,380
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for performance analysts
The easiest schools for performance analysts to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a performance analyst 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 performance analysts.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average performance analyst salary by education level
| Performance analyst education level | Performance analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $83,431 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $77,420 |
| Doctorate Degree | $86,973 |
Performance analyst education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
Search for performance analyst jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025