Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Senior instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior instructor. Senior instructors usually study business, general studies, or criminal justice. 55% of senior instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 5,190 real senior instructor resumes to see exactly what senior instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online senior instructor courses to help get the education required to be a senior instructor.
There are certain senior instructor certifications that you should consider. These senior instructor certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Instructor Certification (EPIC).
What education do you need to become a senior instructor?
What degree do you need to be a senior instructor?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Associate, 20%
- Master's, 14%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a senior instructor?
- Business, 22%
- General Studies, 9%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Psychology, 7%
- Other Majors, 53%
Most common colleges for senior instructors
| Senior instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.26% |
| Texas A&M University - Central Texas | 12.20% |
| American University | 9.45% |
| Excelsior College | 8.25% |
| Troy University | 7.56% |
Best majors for senior instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.1% |
| 2 | General Studies | 8.8% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 8.5% |
| 4 | Psychology | 6.8% |
| 5 | Education | 5.4% |
Best colleges for senior instructors
The best colleges for senior instructors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
A senior instructor 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 instructors. 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 instructors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for senior instructors
Advertising disclosure
1. Strategies for Senior Housing Communities during COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, poses a high risk for senior housing communities and the people who live and work there. The COVID-19 response has largely focused on nursing homes, leaving independent living communities serving older adults in the United States with fragmented guidance on how to respond to COVID-19 challenges. This course provides comprehensive instruction and resources for property owners and managers, senior housing staff, service coordinators and providers,...
2. How to Become a Senior Developer - Beyond coding skills
The path to becoming a senior developer is clear, with these easily applicable lessons on mastering your craft...
3. Leadership: New Manager Training for Technical Professionals
Learn to establish yourself as a manager and lead your technical team to success. We are PDU Accredited...
4. Management Skills Training for New & Experienced Managers
Management Skills Certification in Developing People, Leading Teams & Improving Processes in the Hybrid Work Culture...
5. Intuitive Curriculum Development: Make it Easy to Understand
A Time-Tested and Research Based Approach To Making Difficult Concepts Easy To Understand...
6. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp
Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...
7. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
8. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
9. PgMP (Program Management Professional) Exam Prep Course
Pg MP 4th Edition Exam prep course by PMI Authorized instructor + 2 Full Exams + 450 Questions + 8 PDU's + 15 Documents...
10. Personal Development Life Coach Certification1 Training
Personal Development Life Coach Training Course Graduates Prepared Professionals in Personal Development Life Coaching...
11. Chair Yoga for Seniors & Beginners
Learn to practice Chair Yoga for seniors or people with reduced mobility with full yoga classes and pose tutorials...
12. C Programming For Beginners - Master the C Language
C Programming will increase career options. Become a better dev in other languages by learning C. Pointers explained...
13. C Programming Language - The Best C Language Beginner Course
Achieve confidence in building C programming logic through a hands-on oriented course on C programming language...
14. Advanced C++ Programming Training Course
Take your C++ Programming Training Course Will Take Your Skills To The Next Level...
15. Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation
Learn a proven strategy for writing software docu in Git Hub wiki based on the 12 main principles of technical writing!...
16. How to Write Effortless Quality Procedures & SOPs for ISO
Write Professional Procedures. The only course with 1-on-1 online meeting with the instructor & e-mail support...
17. The Swift Arcade Professional iOS Development Course - UIKit
Everything you need to transition from hobbyist to professional i OS developer...
18. Warehouse Management in Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Warehouse Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Inventory Management in Logistics and Supply Chain...
19. Salesforce Development Training for Beginners
Salesforce Development :Learn about Apex programming and Salesforce development. Become a Salesforce Developer...
20. Android Development: Android App Development From Scratch
Learn java, android, android studio, android development and android app development with Android 11, become a developer...
Top 10 most affordable universities for senior instructors
The most affordable schools for senior instructors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for senior instructors 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 instructors.
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior instructors
The hardest universities for senior instructors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
Some great schools for senior instructors 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 instructors 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
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior instructors
The easiest schools for senior instructors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior instructor 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 instructors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average senior instructor salary by education level
| Senior instructor education level | Senior instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $71,690 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $51,435 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $64,350 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $56,360 |
Senior instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
Search for senior instructor jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025