Project procurement manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a project procurement manager. Project procurement managers usually study business, management, or marketing. 64% of project procurement managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 872 real project procurement manager resumes to see exactly what project procurement manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for project procurement managers are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.

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

There are certain project procurement manager certifications that you should consider. These project procurement manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Practice Manager (CPM).

What education do you need to become a project procurement manager?

What degree do you need to be a project procurement manager?

The most common degree for project procurement managers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of project procurement managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Master's, 18%

Associate, 10%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a project procurement manager?

You should major in business to become a project procurement manager. 43% of project procurement managers major in business. Other common majors for a project procurement manager include management and marketing.

Business, 43%

Management, 7%

Marketing, 6%

Mechanical Engineering, 5%

Other Majors, 39%

Most common colleges for project procurement managers

Project procurement managers often get their degrees at University of Houston, University of Phoenix, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for project procurement managers in the US based on their resumes.

Project procurement manager common college	Percentages
University of Houston	13.89%
University of Phoenix	13.89%
Pennsylvania State University	6.48%
Sam Houston State University	6.48%
Texas A&M University	5.56%

Show more common project procurement manager colleges

Best majors for project procurement managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	42.6%
2	Management	6.5%
3	Marketing	6.1%
4	Mechanical Engineering	5.0%
5	Finance	3.8%

Show more common project procurement manager majors

Best colleges for project procurement managers

The best colleges for project procurement managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A project procurement manager 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 procurement managers. 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 procurement managers.

1. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for project procurement managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Engineering Project Management: Risk, Quality, Teams, and Procurement

Many Project Managers focus only on the scope, schedule and budget. However, a successful project requires that you manage risk, control the quality of the deliverables, engage and manage people and procure goods and services. This course will focus on these key support functions that make the difference between a highly successful project and an average one. During the course, you will prepare a Qualitative Risk Analysis and Evaluate the Cost of Quality for a provided Case Study. By the end of...

2. Construction Procurement Management

4.5

(300)

A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...

3. Procurement Management

4.5

(3,444)

An Ultimate Guide to Procurement / Purchase Management for Managers, Engineers, Entrepreneurs and Students...

4. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

5. Mastering Construction/Project Management

4.2

(659)

Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

6. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

4.4

(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

7. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager

4.4

(250)

Project Management...

8. Project Management Essentials

4.5

(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

9. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

4.5

(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

10. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

4.2

(2,380)

Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

11. Procurement Management- Job Training Course

4.4

(386)

Get trained to be a Procurement Officer. Ultimate guide to become a Procurement & Supply Chain Management Professional !...

12. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

4.3

(730)

Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

13. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

4.6

(28,219)

Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

14. Agile Project Management Bootcamp: Agile Project Management

4.5

(1,916)

This Agile Project Management Bootcamp course will allow you to learn the Agile Way! Agile Project Management (Scrum)...

15. Strategic Cost Management: Procurement and Supply Chain 2022

4.5

(1,611)

How to secure long term Procurement savings without breaking relations with your suppliers (with the updates 2022)...

16. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

4.4

(290)

Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...

17. Project Management Training

4.6

(1,394)

Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...

18. Master Course in Project Management 2.0

4.2

(490)

Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...

19. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management

4.3

(457)

Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...

20. Project Management Fundamentals

4.6

(23,399)

Practical Project Management worked example using Gantt Charts, PMI, PMP, APM...

Top 10 most affordable universities for project procurement managers

The most affordable schools for project procurement managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for project procurement managers 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 procurement managers.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for project procurement managers

The hardest universities for project procurement managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for project procurement managers 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 procurement managers 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for project procurement managers

The easiest schools for project procurement managers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a project procurement manager 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 procurement managers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

Average project procurement manager salary by education level

Project procurement managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $100,168 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, project procurement managers earn a median annual income of $95,133 compared to $93,475 for project procurement managers with an Doctorate degree.

Project procurement manager education level	Project procurement manager salary
Master's Degree	$100,168
High School Diploma or Less	$82,055
Bachelor's Degree	$95,133
Doctorate Degree	$93,475
Some College/ Associate Degree	$84,964

Project procurement manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Project Procurement Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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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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