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Product line director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a product line director. Product line directors usually study business, electrical engineering, or nursing. 65% of product line directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 447 real product line director resumes to see exactly what product line director education sections show.

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

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

What education do you need to become a product line director?

What degree do you need to be a product line director?

The most common degree for product line directors is bachelor's degree, with 65% of product line directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 11%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a product line director?

You should major in business to become a product line director. 26% of product line directors major in business. Other common majors for a product line director include electrical engineering and nursing.

Most common colleges for product line directors

Product line directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Purdue University, and San Jose State University. Here are the most common colleges for product line directors in the US based on their resumes.
Product line director common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.00%
Purdue University8.33%
San Jose State University6.67%
University of California - Davis6.67%
Villanova University6.67%

Best majors for product line directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business26.1%
2Electrical Engineering14.9%
3Nursing11.3%
4Marketing5.4%
5Political Science5.0%

Best colleges for product line directors

The best colleges for product line directors are University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.

A product line director 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 line directors. 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 line directors.

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. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for product line directors

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Master your product marketing skills through practical examples and exercises...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for product line directors

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

If the best universities for product line directors 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 line directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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. 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 - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for product line directors

The hardest universities for product line directors to get into are University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for product line directors 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 line directors 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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for product line directors

The easiest schools for product line directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a product line director 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 line directors.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average product line director salary by education level

Product line directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $170,815 annually. With a Master's degree, product line directors earn a median annual income of $163,412 compared to $144,145 for product line directors with an Bachelor's degree.
Product line director education levelProduct line director salary
Master's Degree$163,412
Bachelor's Degree$144,145
Doctorate Degree$170,815

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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