Project development director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a project development director. Project development directors usually study business, psychology, or political science. 70% of project development directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 482 real project development director resumes to see exactly what project development director education sections show.

The most common colleges for project development directors are the Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University.

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

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

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

The most common degree for project development directors is bachelor's degree, with 70% of project development directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 70%

Master's, 22%

Associate, 5%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 1%

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

You should major in business to become a project development director. 29% of project development directors major in business. Other common majors for a project development director include psychology and political science.

Business, 29%

Psychology, 6%

Political Science, 6%

Mechanical Engineering, 5%

Other Majors, 54%

Most common colleges for project development directors

Project development directors often get their degrees at Texas Tech University, George Washington University, The, and University of Washington. Here are the most common colleges for project development directors in the US based on their resumes.

Project development director common college	Percentages
Texas Tech University	10.81%
George Washington University, The	6.76%
University of Washington	6.76%
Arizona State University	5.41%
Ohio State University	5.41%

Show more common project development director colleges

Best majors for project development directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.4%
2	Psychology	6.0%
3	Political Science	5.5%
4	Mechanical Engineering	5.1%
5	Management	4.7%

Show more common project development director majors

Best colleges for project development directors

The best colleges for project development directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

A project 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 project 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 project development directors.

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for project development directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for project development directors

The most affordable schools for project development directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for project 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 project development directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for project development directors

The hardest universities for project development directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for project 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 project 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

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

The easiest schools for project development directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and university of the incarnate word.

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average project development director salary by education level

According to our data, project development directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $146,730 annually. Project development directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $137,827.

Project development director education level	Project development director salary
Master's Degree	$137,827
High School Diploma or Less	$92,338
Bachelor's Degree	$121,071
Doctorate Degree	$146,730
Some College/ Associate Degree	$97,698

Project development director education FAQs

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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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