Professional development director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a professional development director. Professional development directors usually study business, elementary education, or education. 64% of professional development directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,305 real professional development director resumes to see exactly what professional development director education sections show.

The most common colleges for professional development directors are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.

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

There are certain professional development director certifications that you should consider. These professional development director certifications include Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

What education do you need to become a professional development director?

What degree do you need to be a professional development director?

The most common degree for professional development directors is bachelor's degree, with 64% of professional development directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Master's, 24%

Associate, 5%

Doctorate, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a professional development director?

You should major in business to become a professional development director. 14% of professional development directors major in business. Other common majors for a professional development director include elementary education and education.

Business, 14%

Elementary Education, 13%

Education, 10%

Psychology, 10%

Other Majors, 53%

Most common colleges for professional development directors

Professional development directors often get their degrees at University of Florida, University of Phoenix, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Here are the most common colleges for professional development directors in the US based on their resumes.

Professional development director common college	Percentages
University of Florida	7.97%
University of Phoenix	6.52%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	5.80%
Arizona State University	5.80%
Ohio State University	5.80%

Show more common professional development director colleges

Best majors for professional development directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	13.8%
2	Elementary Education	12.6%
3	Education	10.1%
4	Psychology	9.6%
5	English	5.8%

Show more common professional development director majors

Best colleges for professional development directors

The best colleges for professional development directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A professional development 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 professional development 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 professional development directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for professional development directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for professional development directors

The most affordable schools for professional development directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for professional development 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 professional development directors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

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 professional development directors

The hardest universities for professional development directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for professional development 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 professional development 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for professional development directors

The easiest schools for professional development directors to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a professional development 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 professional development directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average professional development director salary by education level

Professional development directors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $110,004 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, professional development directors earn a median annual income of $109,951 compared to $91,293 for professional development directors with an Associate degree.

Professional development director education level	Professional development director salary
Master's Degree	$110,004
High School Diploma or Less	$78,049
Bachelor's Degree	$109,951
Some College/ Associate Degree	$91,293

Professional development director education FAQs

What is the best college for Professional Development Directors?

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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.

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