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Section chief education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a section chief. Section chiefs usually study business, automotive technology, or criminal justice. 40% of section chiefs hold a bachelor's degree, and 36% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 5,336 real section chief resumes to see exactly what section chief education sections show.
The most common colleges for section chiefs are the American University and the American University.
There are also many online section chief courses to help get the education required to be a section chief.
There are certain section chief certifications that you should consider. These section chief certifications include Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) and OSHA Safety Certificate .
What education do you need to become a section chief?
What degree do you need to be a section chief?
- Bachelor's, 40%
- Associate, 36%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a section chief?
- Business, 20%
- Criminal Justice, 8%
- General Studies, 7%
- Other Majors, 55%
Most common colleges for section chiefs
| Section chief common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| American University | 11.96% |
| University of Phoenix | 10.84% |
| Texas A&M University - Central Texas | 9.71% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.45% |
| Wayland Baptist University | 6.77% |
Best majors for section chiefs
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 19.9% |
| 2 | Automotive Technology | 10.3% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 7.9% |
| 4 | General Studies | 7.2% |
| 5 | Aviation | 7.2% |
Best colleges for section chiefs
The best colleges for section chiefs are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A section chief with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for section chiefs. 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 section chiefs.
1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
5. Siena Heights University
Adrian, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$27,124
Enrollment
2,035
6. SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Canton, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,389
Enrollment
3,127
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Lewis-Clark State College
Lewiston, ID • Private
In-state tuition
$6,618
Enrollment
2,787
10. Dunwoody College of Technology
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$22,046
Enrollment
1,294
20 best online courses for section chiefs
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Top 10 most affordable universities for section chiefs
The most affordable schools for section chiefs are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for section chiefs 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 section chiefs.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, AK • Private
In-state tuition
$7,092
Cost of attendance
16,853
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for section chiefs
The hardest universities for section chiefs to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for section chiefs 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 section chiefs 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
31%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for section chiefs
The easiest schools for section chiefs to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a section chief 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 section chiefs.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
7. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
8. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
9. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
10. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
Average section chief salary by education level
| Section chief education level | Section chief salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $76,895 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $103,359 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $81,238 |
Section chief education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025