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Requirements manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a requirements manager. Requirements managers usually study business, computer science, or political science. 64% of requirements managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 651 real requirements manager resumes to see exactly what requirements manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for requirements managers are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.
There are also many online requirements manager courses to help get the education required to be a requirements manager.
There are certain requirements manager certifications that you should consider. These requirements manager certifications include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).
What education do you need to become a requirements manager?
What degree do you need to be a requirements manager?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 15%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a requirements manager?
- Business, 23%
- Computer Science, 8%
- Other Majors, 56%
Most common colleges for requirements managers
| Requirements manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Maryland - College Park | 14.43% |
| American University | 13.40% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 8.25% |
| Florida State University | 6.19% |
| Excelsior College | 5.15% |
Best majors for requirements managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 23.0% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 8.0% |
| 3 | Political Science | 7.3% |
| 4 | Computer Information Systems | 6.3% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 5.9% |
Best colleges for requirements managers
The best colleges for requirements managers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
A requirements 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 requirements 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 requirements managers.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for requirements managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Requirements Writing
Welcome to "Requirements Writing". As the title indicates, over the next four weeks, we will be looking at the important task of writing of text-based requirement statements. The course takes you step by step through the rules for writing requirements statements in accordance with the "Guide for Writing Requirements" published by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). This course welcomes anyone who wants to find out how to write requirements. It is relevant to anyone in...
2. Requirements Engineering: Secure Software Specifications
This specialization is intended for software engineers, development and product managers, testers, QA analysts, product analysts, tech writers, and security engineers. Even if you have experience in the requirements realm, this course will expand your knowledge to include new viewpoints, development styles, techniques and tools.\n\nFor anyone seeking a graduate degree, certificate, or professional degree in computer science, these courses will additionally give you a broad understanding of how...
3. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering
Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...
4. Product Management+Agile Requirements using Product Backlog
Learn to manage requirements as professional scrum product owner using user stories ( Business Analysis ,Scrum Master)...
5. Requirements Gathering for Secure Software Development
In Software Requirements Elicitation for Secure Software Development, we're going to discuss the overall software requirements process as it applies in waterfall, spiral, and agile models. You'll learn about each of these processes and your goals as a software requirements analyst. This is not an easy task! Who do you talk to, when, and what kind of knowledge are you trying to obtain, in any software life cycle? How do you handle obstacles as you go? These are the questions we will focus on...
6. Business Analysis: Functional & Non-Functional Requirements
Simple Requirements Decomposition / Drill-Down Techniques for Defining Product Behaviors and Qualities (Now with AI)...
7. Agile Project Management: Requirements,Planning and Tracking
Learn about User Stories, Backlog management, Planning Poker, Story points and Velocity,Burn up and Burn down charts...
8. Business Analysis: Developing Requirements
Master the methods involved in planning and gathering requirements and framing input into requirements documents...
9. Agile Business Analysis: Getting / Writing Lean Requirements
How to Discover Requirements, User Stories, Features, and Gherkin (G-W-T) Tests - Now with Chat GPT!...
10. Software Development: Better Requirements Gathering Skills
Boost Your Software Requirements Gathering Skills Today! Learn The Techniques That Work!...
11. How to write technical IT requirements to get what you need
Learn what to write in your requirements document, how to structure it, in what format, what tools you can use...
12. Understand and Elicit Requirements with Business Analysis
Learn about requirement types, levels, terminology, and how to elicit them using popular elicitation techniques...
13. Business Requirements Document for Beginner Business Analyst
Recommended Course for the Beginner BA Who Speaks English as a Second Language...
14. UX Requirements Made Simple
My proven method for smarter, UX-focused product requirements (and a lot less stress)...
15. Conflict Management with Emotional Intelligence
Resolving Conflict with Emotional Intelligence Enhancing Communication Building Strong Relationships Manage Stress...
16. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management
Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...
17. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager
Project Management...
18. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management
Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...
19. The Complete Business Process Management (BPM) Master Class
12000+ enrollments Learn the Business Process Management methods used by the world's most successful organizations...
20. Project Management Training
Project Management Certification Training with 4 Full Practice Tests...
Top 10 most affordable universities for requirements managers
The most affordable schools for requirements managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for requirements 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 requirements 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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for requirements managers
The hardest universities for requirements managers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for requirements 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 requirements 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for requirements managers
The easiest schools for requirements managers to get into are Barry University, capitol technology university, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a requirements 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 requirements managers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
8. Chestnut Hill College
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,026
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. Washington Adventist Hospital
Takoma Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
958
Average requirements manager salary by education level
| Requirements manager education level | Requirements manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $98,831 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $90,943 |
| Doctorate Degree | $101,467 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,132 |
Requirements manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025