Product design manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a product design manager. Product design managers usually study graphic design, business, or mechanical engineering. 75% of product design managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 672 real product design manager resumes to see exactly what product design manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for product design managers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

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

What education do you need to become a product design manager?

What degree do you need to be a product design manager?

The most common degree for product design managers is bachelor's degree, with 75% of product design managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 11% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 75%

Associate, 11%

Master's, 11%

High School Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a product design manager?

You should major in graphic design to become a product design manager. 28% of product design managers major in graphic design. Other common majors for a product design manager include business and mechanical engineering.

Graphic Design, 28%

Business, 10%

Mechanical Engineering, 9%

Fine Arts, 7%

Other Majors, 46%

Most common colleges for product design managers

Product design managers often get their degrees at Fashion Institute of Technology, University of Cincinnati, and University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Here are the most common colleges for product design managers in the US based on their resumes.

Product design manager common college	Percentages
Fashion Institute of Technology	10.10%
University of Cincinnati	7.07%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point	7.07%
Michigan State University	6.06%
Syracuse University	5.05%

Show more common product design manager colleges

Best majors for product design managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Graphic Design	28.3%
2	Business	9.6%
3	Mechanical Engineering	8.8%
4	Fine Arts	7.3%
5	Electrical Engineering	5.7%

Show more common product design manager majors

Best colleges for product design managers

The best colleges for product design managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

A product design 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 product design 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 product design managers.

1. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for product design managers

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6. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

4.5

(1,111)

Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...

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Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...

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Learn to become a more strategic product manager - and have a greater impact on your company and your products...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for product design managers

The most affordable schools for product design managers are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for product design 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 product design managers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for product design managers

The hardest universities for product design managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for product design 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 product design 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for product design managers

The easiest schools for product design managers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, mount saint mary's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average product design manager salary by education level

Product design managers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $162,888 annually. With a Master's degree, product design managers earn a median annual income of $156,005 compared to $138,051 for product design managers with an Bachelor's degree.

Product design manager education level	Product design manager salary
Master's Degree	$156,005
Bachelor's Degree	$138,051
Doctorate Degree	$162,888

Product design manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Product Design Managers?

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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

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