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Product specialist/product management education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a product specialist/product management. Product specialist/product managements usually study business, finance, or accounting. 70% of product specialist/product managements hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 186 real product specialist/product management resumes to see exactly what product specialist/product management education sections show.

The most common colleges for product specialist/product managements are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.

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

What education do you need to become a product specialist/product management?

What degree do you need to be a product specialist/product management?

The most common degree for product specialist/product managements is bachelor's degree, with 70% of product specialist/product managements earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a product specialist/product management?

You should major in business to become a product specialist/product management. 31% of product specialist/product managements major in business. Other common majors for a product specialist/product management include finance and accounting.

Most common colleges for product specialist/product managements

Product specialist/product managements often get their degrees at Arizona State University, Ohio State University, and Illinois State University. Here are the most common colleges for product specialist/product managements in the US based on their resumes.
Product specialist/product management common collegePercentages
Arizona State University7.69%
Ohio State University7.69%
Illinois State University5.13%
San Jose State University5.13%
University of Washington5.13%

Best majors for product specialist/product managements

RankMajorPercentages
1Business31.1%
2Finance11.5%
3Accounting7.4%
4Communication5.7%
5Economics4.9%

Best colleges for product specialist/product managements

The best colleges for product specialist/product managements are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

A product specialist/product management 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 specialist/product managements. 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 specialist/product managements.

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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

8. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

9. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for product specialist/product managements

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6. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers

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7. Product Manager

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9. Product Management Fundamentals

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

10. Product Management 101

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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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Find impact, innovation, and success as a product manager...

15. Business Analytics

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16. AI Product Manager

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18. 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...

19. Growth Product Manager

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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

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Top 10 most affordable universities for product specialist/product managements

The most affordable schools for product specialist/product managements are University of Florida, usf sarasota-manatee, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for product specialist/product managements 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 specialist/product managements.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

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 - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

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 specialist/product managements

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

Some great schools for product specialist/product managements 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 specialist/product managements 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. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for product specialist/product managements

The easiest schools for product specialist/product managements to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a product specialist/product management 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 specialist/product managements.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

Average product specialist/product management salary by education level

According to our data, product specialist/product managements with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $121,589 annually. Product specialist/product managements with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $116,778.
Product specialist/product management education levelProduct specialist/product management salary
Master's Degree$116,778
Bachelor's Degree$104,162
Doctorate Degree$121,589

Product specialist/product management education FAQs

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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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