Senior office administrator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior office administrator. Senior office administrators usually study business, general studies, or accounting. 45% of senior office administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 912 real senior office administrator resumes to see exactly what senior office administrator education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior office administrators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain senior office administrator certifications that you should consider. These senior office administrator certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

What education do you need to become a senior office administrator?

What degree do you need to be a senior office administrator?

The most common degree for senior office administrators is bachelor's degree, with 45% of senior office administrators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 29% and associate degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 45%

Associate, 29%

High School Diploma, 10%

Master's, 7%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a senior office administrator?

You should major in business to become a senior office administrator. 39% of senior office administrators major in business. Other common majors for a senior office administrator include general studies and accounting.

Business, 39%

General Studies, 6%

Accounting, 5%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 45%

Most common colleges for senior office administrators

Senior office administrators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Strayer University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for senior office administrators in the US based on their resumes.

Senior office administrator common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	16.67%
Strayer University	7.58%
New York University	6.06%
Central Washington University	4.55%
Arizona State University	4.55%

Show more common senior office administrator colleges

Best majors for senior office administrators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	39.2%
2	General Studies	5.9%
3	Accounting	5.4%
4	Psychology	5.1%
5	Health Care Administration	3.8%

Show more common senior office administrator majors

Best colleges for senior office administrators

The best colleges for senior office administrators are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A senior office administrator 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 office administrators. 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 office administrators.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

9. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for senior office administrators

Advertising disclosure

1. Microsoft Office 365 Administration

4.5

(2,676)

Microsoft Office 365 Administration...

2. Practical Office 365 Administration

4.2

(291)

Learn in depth about Office 365 for Administrators and also find useful tips and resources to enhance your role as an Of...

3. Effective Legal Office Administration

4.5

(1,067)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

4. Professional Diploma in Office Administration Management

4.2

(632)

Principles of work of Office Administrator. Required hard and soft skills. Introduction to MS Office and banking area...

5. MS Office Course Bundle- Word , Powerpoint , Excel & Outlook

4.3

(319)

MS Office Learn and Polish the Most Desirable Office Courses at work , MS Word , MS Excel , MS Powerpoint and MS Outlook...

6. Effective Human Resource Administration

4.5

(2,351)

Effective Human Resource Administration...

7. Ultimate Microsoft Office; Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Access

4.5

(11,600)

Learn basic to advanced Microsoft Office skills in this 9-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019...

8. The Guide To Office & Industrial Real Estate Investing

4.9

(296)

How To Analyze Office and Industrial Real Estate Investments For Smarter Investing...

9. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2021/365 Training Bundle

4.5

(640)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 6-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2021 users...

10. Audit - Financial Statement

4.4

(2,545)

Master the Art of Auditing Financial Statements: In-Depth Analysis, Techniques, and Real-World Case Studies...

11. Microsoft Office Complete Course All in one MS Office

4.3

(702)

Basic to Advanced Level Microsoft office Training Course A Complete Guide to MS Word, Power Point & Excel...

12. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2013 Training Bundle 71 Hours

4.6

(818)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2013 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

13. MS Office; Excel, Word, Access & PowerPoint 2019 - Beginners

4.5

(1,407)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 4-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019 users...

14. Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

4.5

(5,746)

This course is an introduction to the role and duties of Human Resources (HR)...

15. Microsoft Office Essential Skills

4.6

(2,029)

Learn the essential Microsoft Office skills employers want from a Microsoft Certified Trainer!...

16. Microsoft Office; Excel, Word & PowerPoint 2019 - Beginners

4.6

(958)

Learn the essentials of Microsoft Office in this 3-course bundle for Office 365 or Office 2019 users...

17. The Ultimate Microsoft Office 2016 Training Bundle

4.5

(4,167)

The Most Convenient Way to Boost Your Confidence And Learn MS Office 2016 Inside And Out—Quickly, No Travel or Classes...

18. SharePoint Online for Administrators

4.1

(1,280)

Fundamentals to Planning, Designing, Configuring, and Administration of Share Point Online...

19. MS Office Complete Training - Beginner to Expert Level

(311)

Complete Practical training in MS Office 2010 to 2019 and Office 365 in MS Excel, MS Word, MS Power Point and MS Access...

20. Office 365-Powershell for the Email Administrator

4.6

(290)

Manage Office 365 mailboxes on the cloud with Power Shell...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior office administrators

The most affordable schools for senior office administrators are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and university of florida.

If the best universities for senior office administrators 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 office administrators.

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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

8. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior office administrators

The hardest universities for senior office administrators to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for senior office administrators 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 office administrators 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior office administrators

The easiest schools for senior office administrators to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior office administrator 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 office administrators.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average senior office administrator salary by education level

According to our data, senior office administrators with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $47,607 annually. Senior office administrators with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $45,624.

Senior office administrator education level	Senior office administrator salary
Master's Degree	$45,624
High School Diploma or Less	$38,200
Bachelor's Degree	$42,273
Doctorate Degree	$47,607
Some College/ Associate Degree	$39,029

Senior office administrator education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Office Administrators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search for senior office administrator jobs

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

Browse office and administrative jobs