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Senior lead project manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior lead project manager. Senior lead project managers usually study business, computer science, or computer information systems. 66% of senior lead project managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 813 real senior lead project manager resumes to see exactly what senior lead project manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior lead project managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online senior lead project manager courses to help get the education required to be a senior lead project manager.
There are certain senior lead project manager certifications that you should consider. These senior lead project manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL).
What education do you need to become a senior lead project manager?
What degree do you need to be a senior lead project manager?
- Bachelor's, 66%
- Master's, 22%
- Associate, 8%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a senior lead project manager?
- Business, 27%
- Computer Science, 15%
- Finance, 5%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for senior lead project managers
| Senior lead project manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.00% |
| George Washington University, The | 8.00% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 7.00% |
| University of Kentucky | 5.00% |
| New York University | 5.00% |
Best majors for senior lead project managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 26.9% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 15.0% |
| 3 | Computer Information Systems | 5.7% |
| 4 | Finance | 5.5% |
| 5 | Project Management | 4.8% |
Best colleges for senior lead project managers
The best colleges for senior lead project managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A senior lead project 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 senior lead project 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 senior lead project managers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
In-state tuition
$13,478
Enrollment
979
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
20 best online courses for senior lead project managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Business Analyst: Project Management Techniques and Tools
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5. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems
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6. The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager
The Complete Course For Becoming A Successful Project Manager...
7. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery
Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...
8. Master Course in Project Management 2.0
Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...
9. Project Management Office (PMO) Setup Guide
PMO Step-by-Step Implementation Plan...
10. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One
Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...
11. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management
Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...
12. Business Process Mapping
The complete guide to map any business process...
13. Plan the Project as a Business Analyst - IIBA Endorsed
Increase your value as a Business Analyst by learning how to plan projects successfully without a Project Manager...
14. Project Management Office (PMO) for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to build and run PMO on the level of top consulting firm Mc Kinsey, BCG, Bain, Pw C...
15. Project Management Essentials
A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...
16. The Complete Project Management Fundamentals Course + CERT
Project Management Certification to get in an industry that is adding 1.5 million jobs each year: Project Management...
17. Agile Project Management Certification Prep+Agile Scrum+Jira
Overview of Agile project management+Online Agile Certification+Agile crash course in Jira agile project management tool...
18. Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management
Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...
19. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants
How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...
20. Business Analysis: Developing Irresistible Business Cases
Building the business acumen you need to promote your projects to management...
Top 10 most affordable universities for senior lead project managers
The most affordable schools for senior lead project managers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for senior lead project 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 senior lead project managers.
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Cost of attendance
22,990
10. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior lead project managers
The hardest universities for senior lead project managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for senior lead project 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 senior lead project 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. 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 senior lead project managers
The easiest schools for senior lead project managers 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 senior lead project 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 senior lead project managers.
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. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
7. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
9. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average senior lead project manager salary by education level
| Senior lead project manager education level | Senior lead project manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $131,736 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $119,615 |
| Doctorate Degree | $130,644 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $102,261 |
Senior lead project manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025