Regional manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a regional manager. Regional managers usually study business, marketing, or management. 69% of regional managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 34,580 real regional manager resumes to see exactly what regional manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for regional managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain regional manager certifications that you should consider. These regional manager certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Sales Management.

What education do you need to become a regional manager?

What degree do you need to be a regional manager?

The most common degree for regional managers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of regional managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 12% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Associate, 12%

Master's, 11%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a regional manager?

You should major in business to become a regional manager. 40% of regional managers major in business. Other common majors for a regional manager include marketing and management.

Business, 40%

Marketing, 9%

Management, 6%

Communication, 5%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for regional managers

Regional managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and Ohio State University. Here are the most common colleges for regional managers in the US based on their resumes.

Regional manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	17.38%
Pennsylvania State University	6.11%
Ohio State University	5.94%
Arizona State University	5.89%
Michigan State University	4.90%

Show more common regional manager colleges

Best majors for regional managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	40.0%
2	Marketing	8.7%
3	Management	6.1%
4	Communication	4.7%
5	Psychology	4.5%

Show more common regional manager majors

Best colleges for regional managers

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

A regional 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 regional 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 regional managers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for regional managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Sales Operations/Management

Sales jobs span nearly every industry, from agribusiness and pharmaceuticals, to telecommunications and property management. And essential to sales is the management of the sales force. This course provides the knowledge and know how required for careers in sales management. Students are exposed to all facets of sales management, including organizing, selecting, training, motivating, supervising and compensating the sales force, territory management and administration and sales and expense...

2. Sales Training: Sales Team Management

In this course, you will learn how to define your target market, create a scalable sales process, and build training, coaching, hiring, and onboarding programs to help your sales team grow better. Whether you're already managing a sales team, or aspire to manage one at some point in your career, this course will explain what's involved when it comes to setting up a sales process, coaching your team, hiring new team members, and getting those team members up to speed as fast as possible...

3. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1

(413)

1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

4. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

4.6

(584)

The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

5. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

4.4

(994)

Develop Extraordinary Sales Skills With The Ultimate Sales Training (Taught By 5 Top Sales Experts)...

6. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants

4.6

(251)

A practical guide on how to improve sales and marketing of your customers during consulting projects like Mc Kinsey, BCG,...

7. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

4.6

(4,040)

Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...

8. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley

4.5

(6,788)

The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

9. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

4.6

(346)

Practical, Hands-on Sales Techniques and Tools to Effortlessly Engage your Customers In Your Sales Presentations...

10. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B

4.5

(741)

Master Sales Skills, Marketing Strategy, B2B Sales, Business Development, Lead Generation Using Top Social Skills...

11. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

4.6

(23,968)

Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...

12. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

4.7

(262)

Develop Advanced Sales Skills To Sell Anything Like A Champ (Taught By A World-class Salesman)...

13. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

4.5

(1,734)

Closing Sales: Sales Training Course: Sales Skills; Selling Techniques; Sales Strategies for B2B, B2C Direct Sales...

14. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

(1,581)

A Beginners Guide To Sales & Marketing For Your Online Business And Ventures...

15. Sales Skills Mastery 1: Sales Training For Beginners

4.4

(817)

Selling Techniques and Sales Strategy that Every Salesperson Ought to Know - Sales Training For the Modern World...

16. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

4.5

(599)

Learn to create highly converting sales, conduct professional email marketing & 10X your sales with sales funnel fast!...

17. Sales Training - Everyone sells!

4.5

(2,472)

This course will give you extensive knowledge about the whole sales process...

18. B2B Sales Skills: LinkedIn Lead Generation, Cold Email Sales

4.5

(327)

High-ticket B2B sales and marketing. Generate leads, sell to big companies, and win large deals. Learn sales skills!...

19. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn's tool for B2B Sales

4.1

(393)

Linked In Sales Navigator best remote practices for the Linked In premium service for business development and B2B sales...

20. Sales Skills Training: Consultative Selling Master Class

4.7

(3,017)

Sales Training - Professional B2B Selling Skills for Consultants, Entrepreneurs and all Who Bring in the Business!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for regional managers

The most affordable schools for regional managers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, university of florida, and university of south florida.

If the best universities for regional 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 regional managers.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for regional managers

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

Some great schools for regional 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 regional 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for regional managers

The easiest schools for regional managers to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, mount saint mary's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average regional manager salary by education level

According to our data, regional managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $124,652 annually. Regional managers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $117,868.

Regional manager education level	Regional manager salary
Master's Degree	$124,652
High School Diploma or Less	$84,721
Bachelor's Degree	$110,456
Doctorate Degree	$117,868
Some College/ Associate Degree	$84,656

Regional manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Regional Managers?

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

Search for regional manager jobs

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

Browse executive management jobs