Senior account director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior account director. Senior account directors usually study business, marketing, or communication. 79% of senior account directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,225 real senior account director resumes to see exactly what senior account director education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior account directors are the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

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

There are certain senior account director certifications that you should consider. These senior account director certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).

What education do you need to become a senior account director?

What degree do you need to be a senior account director?

The most common degree for senior account directors is bachelor's degree, with 79% of senior account directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 79%

Master's, 15%

Associate, 5%

Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a senior account director?

You should major in business to become a senior account director. 20% of senior account directors major in business. Other common majors for a senior account director include marketing and communication.

Business, 20%

Marketing, 13%

Communication, 13%

Accounting, 6%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for senior account directors

Senior account directors often get their degrees at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Michigan State University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for senior account directors in the US based on their resumes.

Senior account director common college	Percentages
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	7.64%
Michigan State University	6.94%
New York University	6.25%
Temple University	5.56%
University of Iowa	5.56%

Show more common senior account director colleges

Best majors for senior account directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	20.2%
2	Marketing	13.5%
3	Communication	13.2%
4	Accounting	6.4%
5	Management	5.7%

Show more common senior account director majors

Best colleges for senior account directors

The best colleges for senior account directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A senior account 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 senior account 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 senior account directors.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

6. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

20 best online courses for senior account directors

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Learn the complete accounting cycle -recording business transactions to presenting the Balance Sheet & Income Statement...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for senior account directors

The most affordable schools for senior account directors are University of Florida, usf sarasota-manatee, and university of south florida.

If the best universities for senior account 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 senior account directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

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 senior account directors

The hardest universities for senior account directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for senior account 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 senior account 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. 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

10. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior account directors

The easiest schools for senior account directors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

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

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average senior account director salary by education level

According to our data, senior account directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $148,283 annually. Senior account directors with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $141,744.

Senior account director education level	Senior account director salary
Master's Degree	$148,283
High School Diploma or Less	$108,625
Bachelor's Degree	$134,515
Doctorate Degree	$141,744
Some College/ Associate Degree	$108,558

Senior account director education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Account Directors?

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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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