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Product development manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a product development manager. Product development managers usually study business, graphic design, or marketing. 73% of product development managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 6,184 real product development manager resumes to see exactly what product development manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for product development managers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online product development manager courses to help get the education required to be a product development manager.
There are certain product development manager certifications that you should consider. These product development manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).
What education do you need to become a product development manager?
What degree do you need to be a product development manager?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 9%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a product development manager?
- Business, 23%
- Graphic Design, 8%
- Marketing, 8%
- Other Majors, 53%
Most common colleges for product development managers
| Product development manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 21.06% |
| Purdue University | 6.45% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.02% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 5.73% |
| New York University | 4.58% |
Best majors for product development managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.6% |
| 2 | Graphic Design | 8.4% |
| 3 | Marketing | 8.2% |
| 4 | Mechanical Engineering | 7.5% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 7.3% |
Best colleges for product development managers
The best colleges for product development managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
A product development 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 development 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 development managers.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
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. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for product development managers
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Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
5. Strategic Product Development
This course discusses how companies create new products that customers want while achieving their financial objectives. Learners begin by defining the product strategies necessary to ensure a company’s long-term growth. Learners then explore the different product development processes used by high-tech businesses today, such as Stage-Gate and Lean/Agile techniques. Learners conclude by illustrating the tools to build the high-performance teams that take the development process from concept...
6. Drug Development Product Management
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Leverage data to build products that deliver the right experiences, to the right users, at the right time. Lead the development of data-driven products that position businesses to win in their market...
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15. Product Management 101
Learn to become a more strategic product manager - and have a greater impact on your company and your products...
16. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners
Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...
17. Business Analytics
In this program, you will learn foundational data skills that apply across functions and industries. You will learn to analyze data and build models with Excel, query databases using SQL, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
18. AI Product Manager
Learn to develop AI products that deliver business value. Build skills that help you compete in the new AI-powered world...
19. Product Management for Maximum Impact
Product Management Videos, Insights, Success Metrics...
20. Product and Service Management
Know the Work that is Involved in Getting a Product Onto the Shelf and a Service Ready for Effective Delivery...
Top 10 most affordable universities for product development managers
The most affordable schools for product development managers are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for product development 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 development 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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for product development managers
The hardest universities for product development managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for product development 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 development 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
8%
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
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
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 product development managers
The easiest schools for product development managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a product development 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 development managers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average product development manager salary by education level
| Product development manager education level | Product development manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $128,642 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $116,718 |
| Doctorate Degree | $133,137 |
Product development manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025