Product lead education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a product lead. Product leads usually study business, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering. 66% of product leads hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,288 real product lead resumes to see exactly what product lead education sections show.

The most common colleges for product leads are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain product lead certifications that you should consider. These product lead certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

What education do you need to become a product lead?

What degree do you need to be a product lead?

The most common degree for product leads is bachelor's degree, with 66% of product leads earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 66%

Master's, 19%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a product lead?

You should major in business to become a product lead. 24% of product leads major in business. Other common majors for a product lead include mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

Business, 24%

Mechanical Engineering, 10%

Electrical Engineering, 9%

Computer Science, 8%

Other Majors, 49%

Most common colleges for product leads

Product leads often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Florida. Here are the most common colleges for product leads in the US based on their resumes.

Product lead common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	9.77%
Pennsylvania State University	7.44%
University of Florida	6.51%
Purdue University	6.51%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point	6.05%

Show more common product lead colleges

Best majors for product leads

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	23.7%
2	Mechanical Engineering	10.3%
3	Electrical Engineering	8.8%
4	Computer Science	8.1%
5	Marketing	6.7%

Show more common product lead majors

Best colleges for product leads

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

A product lead 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 leads. 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 leads.

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 leads

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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. Product Management Marketing: Dekker's Product Marketing MBA

4.6

(2,007)

Be a Product Marketing Manager - Product Management : Product Manager MBA : Product to Market : Product Owner Launch GTM...

6. Product Management+Agile Requirements using Product Backlog

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Learn to manage requirements as professional scrum product owner using user stories ( Business Analysis ,Scrum Master)...

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4.4

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Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...

10. Product Management Fundamentals

4.4

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Case-based practical course on product management to build strong foundations in product concepts, process & frameworks...

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13. Product and Service Management

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Know the Work that is Involved in Getting a Product Onto the Shelf and a Service Ready for Effective Delivery...

14. Advanced Product Management: Vision, Strategy & Metrics

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Learn the skills Product Managers use every day. Vision, strategy, & advanced metrics for Product Managers...

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16. AI Product Manager

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17. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

4.5

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

18. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers

4.5

(366)

Become a great product manager with comprehensive product management Real world case study with JIRA & Confluence...

19. Growth Product Manager

Hone specialized Product Management skills in growth strategy. Lead experimentation and data-driven decision-making in your organization to drive products to reach the next level of scale, impact, and profitability...

20. Product Strategy

Learn how to build a bullet-proof vision & strategy for any digital product idea. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to identify the right problems to solve, map out business models for capturing revenue, and successfully pitch your strategy to stakeholders...

Top 10 most affordable universities for product leads

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

If the best universities for product leads 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 leads.

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 leads

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

Some great schools for product leads 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 leads 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. 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

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 leads

The easiest schools for product leads 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 lead 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 leads.

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 lead salary by education level

Product leads with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $140,988 annually. With a Master's degree, product leads earn a median annual income of $135,910 compared to $122,503 for product leads with an Bachelor's degree.

Product lead education level	Product lead salary
Master's Degree	$135,910
Bachelor's Degree	$122,503
Doctorate Degree	$140,988

Product lead education FAQs

What is the best college for Product Leads?

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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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