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Program planner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a program planner. Program planners usually study business, psychology, or communication. 69% of program planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,173 real program planner resumes to see exactly what program planner education sections show.
The most common colleges for program planners are the University of Central Florida and the University of Central Florida.
There are also many online program planner courses to help get the education required to be a program planner.
There are certain program planner certifications that you should consider. These program planner certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Planning Engineer (CPE).
What education do you need to become a program planner?
What degree do you need to be a program planner?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a program planner?
- Business, 32%
- Psychology, 7%
- Communication, 7%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for program planners
| Program planner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Central Florida | 11.81% |
| University of Phoenix | 10.42% |
| University of South Florida | 6.25% |
| Western Washington University | 6.25% |
| Michigan State University | 5.56% |
Best majors for program planners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 31.8% |
| 2 | Psychology | 7.4% |
| 3 | Communication | 6.8% |
| 4 | Political Science | 4.4% |
| 5 | Management | 4.0% |
Best colleges for program planners
The best colleges for program planners are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
A program planner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for program planners. 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 program planners.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
20 best online courses for program planners
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11. Technical Program Management
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Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...
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Top 10 most affordable universities for program planners
The most affordable schools for program planners are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for program planners 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 program planners.
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for program planners
The hardest universities for program planners to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for program planners 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 program planners 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
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for program planners
The easiest schools for program planners to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a program planner 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 program planners.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
10. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
Average program planner salary by education level
| Program planner education level | Program planner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,092 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $63,308 |
Program planner education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025